


Oil Lamps

by CaptainErica



Category: Big Bang (Band)
Genre: GD the neurotic Writer, M/M, daesung the super muscular and attractive genie, genie au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 13:30:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7759612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainErica/pseuds/CaptainErica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The lamp is gorgeous and fascinating. It's everything he likes and he knows that's why Youngbae got it for him. He should probably thank Youngbae, but he's not really ready to leave his home just yet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of my favorite completed works. I have the whole thing, plus a sequel, up on AFF. However, I'm moving them all here, so if you don't want to read it there, that's perfectly alright ^^

The deep green gems embedded into the sides of the lamp glow bright for five seconds before going dark again. Jiyong is confused, but when it doesn’t happen again after a minute, he blames it on a trick of the light and goes back to writing.

His pen scratches lightly across the page, dancing from side to side as he pours his thoughts onto the page before him. As he finishes his thought, something about chocolate and peppermints, he closes his eyes and tips his head back; his pen positioned close to the page in case more thoughts come out. It’s while his head is tipped back that he reaches, absentmindedly, for the lamp sitting next to him.

It was a lovely Arabian style lamp that his friend Youngbae had bought for him while traveling a few weeks before. It had been sitting on his desk looking exotic and lovely for three days before Jiyong finally noticed it. This wasn’t unusual, and Youngbae most definitely wasn’t surprised when he received the ‘thank you’ message from his friend nearly a week after he had dropped it off. Jiyong was prone to fits of seclusion, but he was a devoted and caring friend and even though it had taken him a while to notice the lamp, he still appreciated the gift deeply.

The note that Youngbae left with lamp explained that normally they were used as actual lamps; the lamp is filled with oil and the ‘spout-looking’ end was lit. Youngbae’s note had also mentioned the whole ‘genie/djinn in the lamp’ mythology, which Jiyong knew was the whole reason that Youngbae had spent the probably exorbitant sum to buy it for him. Jiyong loves stories and myths, and Youngbae knew Jiyong better than even Jiyong knew himself; there was no doubt that the pretty façade of the lamp was not why Youngbae had purchased it. The genie stories were most likely what had sold it, and while Jiyong hadn’t spoken directly to Youngbae about it yet (he was still in semi-seclusion), but he planned to.

The lamp itself was mainly gold except for the top, which was porcelain in-laid with different colors in an intricate design. The sides were dotted with green gems, some bigger than others, that had been the object of his attention earlier in the night. The lid and handle were plain gold, and the entire lamp was well-polished and it shined brightly in the glow from his desk lamp.

With his head still tilted back and his eyes still closed lightly, his right hand grasps the spout of the lamp. He opens his eyes slowly and sits up so that he can more easily face the lamp. His mind had been so cluttered that he hadn’t properly looked at the lamp since finding it a few days previously. He moves his hand back from the spout toward the handle, barely touching the decorated top as his fingers inch along. Suddenly, he sits up straighter, excitement coursing through him as he grasps the handle and lifts the small lamp toward his face.

It is a little heavier than expected, but Jiyong decides that it’s a nice weight that makes the lamp seem more solid and possibly more _authentic_. He brings his left hand up and uses it to hold the spout, keeping the lamp steady while his eyes trace its contours. He’s wholly delighted by the inlay on the top, and so spends a while just devouring the design with his eyes. He doesn’t move his hands across the metal, too wary of the genie stories he’s heard to chance such a gesture; though he does know that they are just stories, Youngbae reminds him constantly that he must differentiate between those things that really happen and those that are a part of his imagination.

Jiyong takes in a deep breath and turns the lamp slightly so that the light from his desk is shining on the side. He takes this opportunity to look closely at the brilliant green gems that he had imagined to be glowing earlier. They were all different sizes but were all cut into the same hexagonal shape. He wonders briefly if there is any reason why that shape was chosen, or if it was just fancy that wrought the beautiful design. As he tilts the lamp again, careful not to drag his fingers across the surface, the gems glow brightly. Startled, Jiyong’s eyes go wide and he stretches his arms out far in front of him, trying to get the lamp as far from his body as possible while being careful not to drop or damage it.

The motion causes him to turn the lamp on its side so that the bottom is facing him. When he calms down mere moments later, the shock leaving him breathing heavily, he pulls the lamp just a little bit closer and notices that there is something written on the bottom. The script is a little difficult for him to read in the rather dim light of his desk lamp, but he slowly makes it out: D-A-E-SU-N-G.

“Da-e-sung?” He whispers, puzzling over the word, “Daesung.” He says firmly after turning his desk lamp so that it’s easier for him to read.

“What does ‘Daesung’ mean?” He asks out loud, as if the room or maybe the lamp itself will be able to tell him.

The green gems glow brightly once more and this time Jiyong is so taken aback that he jumps a little in his seat, his eyes going wide as he registers that yes, yes he had just seen that happen. He’s hesitant to bring the lamp back up to his face again, but he is also still curious about it. After a couple of minutes of indecision, he slowly brings the lamp back up to his face and spins it carefully in his hands.

“ _Daesung_ ” he whispers as he turns the lamp over in his hands. He’s still trying to piece together what it could mean, and why it’s there, when his phone rings from the next room over. He’s startled out of his reverie, but he stands up quickly hoping that the caller is Youngbae so that he can ask him about the lamp. As he deposits the lamp back down onto his desk, his mind now consumed with what he wants to talk to Youngbae about, he is less cautious and allows his hand to drag along the side. A quick look down at the lamp before he leaves alerts him to the fact that there appears to be a smudge near the base, he’s confused about how it got there, but the phone is still ringing so he hurries from the room hoping to catch it before the person hangs up.

“Hello?” Jiyong says, holding the phone tightly in one hand, he turns back toward his study and stares at the lamp through the doorway.

“Ji! It’s Youngbae” Jiyong releases a breath that he didn’t realize he had been holding. He leans back against the wall and slides down onto the floor.

“I was hoping it was you.” He says, a smile stretching across his face as he leans his head back so that it makes contact with the wall.

“I’m the only person who is willing to sit on the phone listening to it ring for forever. You sure you don’t want an answering machine? I’ll buy you one.” Youngbae says, laughter echoing through his voice. Jiyong smiles lightly and presses his eyes closed.

“That’s how I know it’s you, this way I don’t have to talk to anyone else.” He hears Youngbae snort delicately through the ear piece, “You would not buy it for me, it would mean spending money, and then I would whine because it wasn’t the right _color_.” Jiyong smiles and taps his finger against his knee; he really enjoys their conversations.

Youngbae sighs heavily, “I would too, and you would deal with the color I got for you.” There’s a slight pause and then Jiyong can hear Youngbae shift on the other side of the phone. “What have you been up to, we haven’t talked in a while.” It wasn’t an accusation, and Youngbae was back to sounding normal and happy, but Jiyong felt bad anyway.

“Yeah, I was…I was writing, just lost for a little while.” Youngbae’s soft ‘ _yeah_ ’ encourages Jiyong to continue. “I was looking at the lamp you got me. It’s beautiful.”

“Oh? Yeah, I thought you would like it. It practically screamed ‘JIYONG’ as I passed by the stall at the market. The guy who sold it to me gave me a long lecture on how to properly treat the lamps and what the history and stories behind them were. I hoped you would like it.” Jiyong smiles, it’s exactly what he had been hoping for while staring at the lamp earlier.

“What did he say? You mentioned genies.” Jiyong said it rather accusingly, like Youngbae should have known better than to bring up genies, of all things.

Youngbae laughs, “I did mention genies, and djinns. You could have just looked it up online or something if you were really this curious. You didn’t have to wait for me to call.” Jiyong makes a face and starts picking at his nails.

“I wasn’t waiting for you to call.” He says stubbornly, ignoring the sharp bark of laughter Youngbae emits from the other end.

“Of course not” Youngbae says, pausing briefly to let the teasing note in his voice register in Jiyong’s mind. The light growl of annoyance alerts Youngbae that he can move on. “Alright, so basically I was told, among other things but I know that you only really care about the genies, that these lamps were said to sometimes house mystical ‘all-powerful’ beings; Genies and djinns being only some of the possibilities. He said that the being could come in all different shapes or sizes, but that most frequently they were men, or women, who had been enslaved somehow by the power that they now possess.”

Jiyong was listening so intently that he almost missed the fact that Youngbae had ceased speaking. He looks up toward the doorway the leads into his study and stares at his desk. “Go on.”

Youngbae laughs lightly, and Jiyong can picture him closing his eyes and shaking his head. “So they are stuck in the lamp until someone comes along and releases them. Once they are released, they are bound by the rules of their power to offer a certain number of wishes. The number varies, but I know that you’ve seen ‘Aladdin’ so you know how that whole thing supposedly works.” Jiyong nods, even though he knows that Youngbae can’t see him.

“Alright, anything else?”

“Ahh, he did mention that sometimes the genie can be tricky, like trying to get the owner of the lamp to wish for things that would benefit the genie…I don’t know, there was some more but I had a hard enough time understanding him as it was.” Youngbae doesn’t comment on the fact that Jiyong is so interested in the story. Jiyong knows that Youngbae understands him, but he can’t help but to notice these little things that Youngbae does for him.

“Cool. I really like it.” Jiyong says in a rush. He likes to be affectionate, and he likes to show his appreciation, but he feels awkward saying it so late even though he knows that Youngbae understands. He doesn’t like that he kind of takes advantage of how good Youngbae is to him when he’s so difficult sometimes.

“I figured that you would” Youngbae says, and it sounds carefree, light and happy. “What are you doing tonight? Have you eaten recently?” Jiyong laughs and lets his head fall back against the wall.

“Nothing, I’m doing nothing. I don’t remember, come cook for me!” Jiyong says, half shouting and half whining at the end. Youngbae laughs and agrees, saying that he will be up to see him in a few hours.

Jiyong hangs up the phone and looks around the room. He is in his living room, facing the door that leads into his study. He realizes that he hasn’t been in the living room in maybe two weeks. He can’t be sure, but he knows that it’s been a while since he sat on the sofa or watched TV. He shakes his head and pushes himself up off the floor and shuffles out into the kitchen to make an attempt at cleaning or tidying up before Youngbae arrives.

The acts of dusting off the counter and table, and sweeping the floors are enough to keep him busy and his mind off of the mysterious lamp until Youngbae arrives, early as usual. Jiyong hears the doorbell ring and drops the broom where he’s standing, moving quickly out to the door.

“You’re early” he says, planting his hands on his hips and even adding a frown of annoyance. Youngbae just smiles brightly and holds out his hands.

“I come bearing gifts!” Jiyong’s eyes light up, but before he can reach out to grab what’s in Youngbae’s hands, Youngbae brushes past him and moves into the kitchen. “Nice and clean in here!” He yells. Jiyong snorts and shuts the door before making his way into the kitchen.

“Of course it’s clean; I like my things neat and attractive.” Jiyong says, trying to sound superior as he runs a finger along his glistening countertop. Youngbae rolls his eyes and sets about making dinner.

It’s not until three or four hours later that Youngbae looks up at the clock and realizes that he needs to get home.

“I’ve got to work in the morning, unlike some of us, so I have to head off to bed.” Youngbae grins as he’s talking and Jiyong pushes him, hurrying him toward the door.

“Yah, yah! If that’s how you’re going to act then get out!” He shouts, trying to hold back his laughter as he tries desperately to shove his muscular friend out the door.

“Alright, I’m going!” Youngbae says, a smile still stretched across his face. “Sleep well please, and don’t forget to call if you want to get together or something!”

“Yeah, whatever. Night momma bear!” Jiyong says in a lilting voice. With another laugh and a wave goodbye, Youngbae leaves and Jiyong is left alone in the entryway. It takes a little bit for the high of having a visitor to wear off, but once Jiyong is back to his own thoughts, and he’s finished cleaning the kitchen, he remembers the lamp.

Jiyong walks slowly back through the living room and into his study; he’s a little hesitant about getting too close to his desk at first, so he just stands a couple of feet away, just looking. He sets his face suddenly and shakes his head.

“You’re being stupid, it’s just a lamp. A pretty lamp.” He says out loud, trying to make himself feel better. He moves forward and grabs the back of the chair and pauses. “They are just stories. They aren’t real.” He briefly considers calling Youngbae to hear him say that the genie stories are just that: stories. He stops himself, though, because he doesn’t want to make Youngbae worry about him any more than he knows that his friend already does.

In a fit of sudden bravery, Jiyong pulls out the chair and sits down, scooting himself close to the desk and grabbing his pen. He decides to try writing something to get rid of his nervous energy, but he just can’t seem to get anything of substance down.

 _Daesung_. The word, _name_ , thing kept popping into his mind as he tried to write. He sets his pen down in frustration and looks down at the paper in front of him. What used to be a blank sheet of lined paper was now a scribbled-on mess. Only one word could be made out amidst the mad scribbles: Daesung.

“Oh!” Jiyong says suddenly, sitting up straight, a small smile starting to form on his face. “Thank you, Youngbae, thank you!” He mutters as he reaches for the lamp.

Once, when Jiyong and Youngbae were in high school, Jiyong had become scarily obsessed with the Bloody Mary myth. It had gotten so bad that Jiyong started to refuse to be in a bathroom alone. That all ended when, while standing in front of a single person bathroom at a store, Youngbae told JIyong that in order for him to get over his fear, he would have to just take a deep breath and face it head on. It worked, Jiyong was never worried about the whole Bloody Mary thing again; but that time Youngbae had been there, standing just outside. This time, however, Youngbae isn’t there, no one is, and so Jiyong needs to face his irrational trepidation head on and completely alone.

He grabs the lamp quickly before his confidence fails him, and holds it in front of him for a moment. He takes a deep breath, eyes transfixed on the green gems that were glowing in what he pretends is the light from his desk, and he rubs his hand over it quickly. He closes his eyes and puts the lamp down on his desk, turning his head away.

After a couple of seconds with nothing happening, he slowly lets out a breath and a smile crosses his face. “Nothing happened.” He says out loud, “You’re not scary, just a pretty little lamp!” He laughs at himself for a second before pausing as he remembers that he had seen a smudge near the base earlier when Youngbae had called.

He picks the lamp up again and turns it around in his hands, inspecting the bottom. He quickly finds the smudge and wonders briefly where it could have come from as he hadn’t actually touched the lamp anywhere aside from the handle and spout. Shrugging it off, he looks around him for a piece of cloth to use. Not finding anything, he takes the bottom of his shirt and rubs at the spot until it’s shining like the rest of the lamp.

He holds the lamp up to his face, admiring his handy-work and the fact that he can see his face reflected in the gold. He’s so focused on his reflection that he almost doesn’t notice the smoke that starts to drift out from the spout, _almost._ His eyes go wide and he shoves the lamp away from his face, the gesture was meant to both get it away from him and make it so that he could see it better.

The smoke had started out rather faint, but as Jiyong stares at it, it grows in abundance and starts to smell of sickly sweet incense and some rich earthy smell that he can’t place. Afraid of what might happen, he stands up and moves as quickly as he can while keeping his eyes on the lamp, and deposits it on the floor in the living room. The smoke starts to swirl in on itself and Jiyong backs away slowly until he is pressed against the wall and as far from the lamp as he can get while still being able to keep an eye on it.

The cloud of smoke shifts and turns in on itself and Jiyong can start to make out colors. The smoke catches on the light in the room and starts to shimmer and sparkle as it turns and becomes larger. It slowly shapes itself into what Jiyong can only assume is the form of a human, and it takes all that he’s got for him not to black out on the spot.

 _Daesung_. The word dances around his mind as he watches the smoke tighten and solidify before starting to fall away. When all of the smoke clears, Jiyong almost feels disappointed. Standing before him, rather scantily if not stereotypically dressed, was a very well-built man. His dark brown hair fell at an angle in the front across his eyes, making it difficult for Jiyong to see them. His tanned skin was covered rather minimally as he was wearing only a small deep green vest, similar to the color of the gems, and baggy white pants. He had a few small beaded bracelets on his wrists and a gold cuff-type armlet molded around each bicep. Jiyong isn’t sure how long he stands there just staring, but the deep and calm voice coming from what he can only assume is a genie, startles him into paying attention.

“I am Daesung, the captive of this lamp.” He pauses as he flips his hair out of his eyes in a way that Jiyong’s sarcastic mind can’t help but to categorize as stuck-up. “I would appreciate knowing the name of the one who has let me out.” He crosses his arms over his muscled chest, and Jiyong has a hard time focusing on anything else for a moment.

“Um, Jiyong. My name is Jiyong.” He says, standing up a little straighter and clearing his throat, trying to sound as confident as possible. Daesung’s face splits into a smile, and Jiyong is worried for a moment.  He’s uncertain what to do now, and this whole thing goes against any notion of reality that he had ever clung onto.

“You’re not dreaming, I am very much here.” Daesung says, his smile becoming warm and welcoming as he begins to move forward. Jiyong panics and realizes that he can’t really get away.

“You don’t look like a genie.” Jiyong says, trying desperately to distract Daesung’s advance. Daesung pauses in his movement and cocks his head to the side before bursting into laughter.

“I never said that I was a genie.” He says once he’s controlled his laughter. He holds a hand up as Jiyong tries to speak, “I’m not saying that I’m not, but it’s rather rude of you to assume things about me without knowing anything first.”

Jiyong thinks this is rather harsh as he had just seen the man materialize out of a cloud of smoke that had poured out of a _lamp_ , but he keeps quiet about that and tries not to show how terrified he actually is.


	2. Chapter 2

Jiyong looks around the room looking for either a means of escape or even just something to do. Daesung was staring at him, head cocked to the side, as if the genie were trying to figure him out.

“Um, would you uh, like to sit down?” Jiyong offers, gesturing toward the sofa. His throat has gone dry and he really isn’t certain how he should handle this situation. Daesung’s mouth quirks into what can only be called an ‘amused’ smirk, and he nods in acquiescence, gesturing for Jiyong to move first.

Jiyong isn’t certain that that is the greatest of ideas, but he isn’t about to go against the gesture. He doesn’t want to get any closer to the genie, so he skirts as far around as he can; a rather difficult gesture as the room is small and he is blocked on both sides by a decorative chair and a small table. He considers grabbing the phone off of the table, but decides against it at the last minute as he bangs his leg into the corner of the table.

“Are you alright?” Daesung asks stepping forward with one hand outstretched, a look of concern filling his face. Jiyong raises a hand and tries to smile through his grimace of pain. “Took the corner a little wide?” Daesung asks after Jiyong rebuffs his attempt to help.

Jiyong snorts and hobbles over to the sofa where he sits down and waits for Daesung to do the same. He tries not to watch, but can’t help it since the sofa is facing the side of the room he had just been on. Daesung’s motions are slow and measured, almost calculated. Jiyong finds himself narrowing his eyes so that he can pay closer attention and try to figure out what the genie is trying to accomplish. Daesung sits down next to him, a slow drop onto the cushion that Jiyong can’t help but pay attention to, and turns toward him.

“Are you curious?” Daesung asks, his voice is still just as commanding as previously, but something about the fact that he’s sitting down makes Jiyong find him slightly less intimidating.

“About what?” Jiyong asks after a couple of moments.

“About me, what I am doing here…?” Jiyong thinks that Daesung is starting to sound amused, and he’s not sure he likes that. He grabs the pillow that is between him and the arm of the sofa, and places it on his lap, almost protectively. Daesung notices the action, but he keeps quiet, a small smile playing around his lips.

“You’re a genie. You popped out of the pretty lamp Youngbae got me. You’re probably a hallucination.” Daesung’s smile gets larger with each statement, and Jiyong starts to wish that he had grabbed the phone on his way past so that he could call someone.

“Well yes, and no.” Daesung says, tilting his head to the side, the smile still firmly planted on his face. Jiyong furrows his eyebrows and opens his mouth to respond, but Daesung holds up a hand. “Yes, I am a genie, but I most definitely didn’t ‘pop’ out of the lamp. The lamp is…pretty…” Daesung pauses after the word as if it’s particularly puzzling, but it’s only a brief pause before he moves on. “and I’m sure that this Youngbae that you speak of did, in fact, buy it for you. I am not, however, a hallucination.” Jiyong raises and eyebrow but remains silent. “Do I really look like a hallucination to you?”

Jiyong really didn’t want to answer the question, so he focuses his attention on a spot across the room. He was just deciding that he should really do a thorough cleaning of every room in the house when he hears Daesung clear his throat.

“I’m still here.” Daesung says, “You shouldn’t ignore me, it’s rude.” Jiyong’s eyes go wide and he whips his head back toward the genie sitting next to him.

“Rude? Me?!” Jiyong says incredulously. “You appeared out of a lamp in _my_ living room, not the other way around.” Jiyong swings his arm out for emphasis. “You’re a GENIE. A G-E-N-I-E! How am I supposed to react?” He was breathing heavily and once he finishes his outburst he feels bad and pulls his arms back toward his body, turning away.

“You’re right, and I’m sorry, I’m just used to people being more excited and demanding.” Daesung says after a short pause. His voice was a little softer, a light breathy note had crept its way in and Jiyong was intrigued by it.

“I would think that most people wouldn’t believe what they were seeing.” Jiyong says quickly, his eyes traveling down to Daesung’s exposed stomach and chest before snapping back to his face. Daesung’s lips quirk up into a slight smirk and Jiyong knows that Daesung saw him looking.

“They usually get over that quickly; decide it’s a dream and wish away…” The way that his voice trails off at the end has Jiyong leaning in closer in the hopes of hearing what it is that Daesung isn’t saying; what those wishes were and what happened to those people. “But, they never really listen; never really realize what is happening and how much I can give them.” JIyong’s heart starts beating fast in his chest and he’s unsure why. He swallows, closes his eyes tightly for a moment, and tries to collect himself.

“What…what don’t they listen to?” Jiyong is afraid that this is a trick. Daesung’s eyes light up the second the words leave his mouth and he’s afraid that maybe he’s shown more interest than he should have. Youngbae’s story starts ringing through his ears, and he wonders if there were more things about tricks and lies; ways to trap the lamp owner…

“Well, normally I would start by thanking the owner of the lamp for setting me free,” Daesung’s voice breaks through Jiyong’s racing thoughts and he crashes back down to the present, trying his hardest to catch up with Daesung’s words. “I would then offer them three wishes with the advice that they should think clearly before using them.” Daesung pauses here, a small smile still visibile on his face; it’s as if he finds Jiyong infinitely amusing.

“You didn’t offer _me_ three wishes. You told me I was rude.” Jiyong says petulantly, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting.

Daesung’s lips twitch up lightly before he responds; “I didn’t say that you were rude, I may not have given you the full speech, but you didn’t really give me a chance.” Jiyong can’t help but feel that most genies aren’t this talkative.

“I’m ignoring the implication that that is my fault.” Jiyong says, pouting briefly before continuing to a more neutral expression. He can’t believe how casual he is being, and so quickly. It unnerves him, but he figures that it will be better to soldier through it and think about it later.

“Of course.” The smile on Daesung’s face makes Jiyong want to hit him, but he holds back.

“So, give me the speech. I will pay close attention.” Jiyong says, sitting up straight and setting his chin so that he looks ready and attentive. Daesung cocks his head to the side; something that Jiyong notes he does often.

“You already have trouble paying attention, and we aren’t talking about anything.” Jiyong tries his hardest not to glare after that statement, but it’s terribly hard. Daesung repositions himself for a couple of seconds before standing up and turning to stand in front of JIyong.

“Since you have freed me from the lamp, I can gift you with up to three wishes. You can wish for absolutely anything that you would like, but you must remember to think about what the possible consequences of your wishes will be. I cannot grant a wish that will explicitly cause death.” Daesung takes a breath and backs up a step; an odd gesture that Jiyong notices but can’t interpret. “It is standard for a wish to begin “I wish…” and if I hear it I grant it. Be careful of what you _wish_ for.”

“What if I don’t want the wishes to begin with ‘I wish’? What if I want them to begin with something else?” Daesung opens his mouth to reply, but Jiyong isn’t finished. “Also, what if I don’t use all of my wishes? Do you just disappear after the third one? Do you go back into your…my lamp? How old are you?”

Daesung seems taken aback for a moment; he just stares at Jiyong before another smile slowly finds its way across his face. “I am here for as long as there are wishes to grant, unless you wish me back into the lamp without having used them all. If you want them to begin with something else, you just have to tell me so that I know.” He moves closer now so that he is towering over Jiyong, but it’s not frightening, it’s more like he just wants to be close.

“How many times have you been let out? How many wishes have you granted? How old are you?” Jiyong was curious, very curious. He wanted this story to be explained. He wanted to know absolutely everything about it that he could.

“I have been let out many times before. I have no real concept of how long I’ve been held captive by the lamp, but I am much, much older than you.”

“You don’t look it. At all. In fact, you look younger than me.” Jiyong says, and suddenly it’s as if he’s talking to a friend, someone almost as close to him as Youngbae. It’s weird, nice, and kind of exhilarating.

Daesung smiles and moves back to sit down on the sofa. Jiyong turns in his seat and bring his legs up to sit cross-legged.

“There are probably many reasons why that is so.” Jiyong pouts at the implication making Daesung’s lips twitch, “This is what I looked like when I became a genie.”

Jiyong’s eyebrows shoot up, “People looked like you way back whenever you were my age? I thought they were all… I mean you’re very…You don’t look it.” Daesung bites his lower lip lightly, causing Jiyong’s eyes to travel down to his mouth.

“I don’t look it? How do you know what people looked like ‘when I was your age’?” Daesung smiles and closes his eyes, tipping his head back. “I haven’t thought about it in a long while. I normally spend my time wishing to be free and cursing myself for getting into this position in the first place. It’s not exactly enjoyable, living in a lamp and being at people’s beck and call.”

Jiyong felt bad for the man…Genie…Whatever Daesung may be categorized as, it didn’t matter. He felt terrible for him.

“Is there any way to end it? To get you out?” Daesung’s eyes go wide open and his head snaps up.

“What?”

“Why are you so alarmed? Is there a way to stop the cycle?” Jiyong watches Daesung’s face carefully as the genie rearranges it from flagrant surprise, to complete mystery.

“It’s not something that you need to worry about. It will happen in time.” Jiyong is confused, but Daesung is brushing him off. “It seems to me, however, that it is night time, and you have three wishes that you must figure out how to use.” Jiyong wants to protest, but Daesung is already standing up.

“I don’t…”

“You should go to bed.” Daesung says, tilting his head to the side and looking at Jiyong with a warm smile on his face.

“I, but what will you do? Do you sleep? Oh no.” Jiyong hurries up off of the sofa and starts to move around the house. He pulls blankets and pillows out of a closet and runs back into the living room where Daesung is still standing, mild confusion showing on his face.

“What are you doing?” Daesung asks, holding out his hand as Jiyong runs back into the living room from another direction and shoves a pair of sweatpants at him.

“You can’t sleep in my bed, I sleep there and I’m a bed hog. So you can stay in here and I can’t expect you to wear those to bed so…” Now that Jiyong actually thinks about it, Daesung probably doesn’t sleep, and so he went through all of that trouble only to look foolish.

But Daesung smiles, a warm and heartfelt smile, and brings the hand with the sweatpants to his chest.

“Thank you.” He says, turning around to look at the sofa that Jiyong had turned into a makeshift bed.

Satisfied with his work, and far prouder of himself than he feels is necessary, Jiyong heads off to his own bedroom to get some much needed sleep.

“That was too much social interaction for today.” He mutters as he crawls into his bed. It isn’t long before he’s fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The light streaming in from the window above his bed is what wakes Jiyong up the next morning. He grumbles a bit and pulls his pillow over his head in the hope that it will protect his sleepy eyes from the light. His mind is a little hazy as he finally gives up and pulls the pillow from his face, but he remembers a very colorful and detailed dream that involved the lamp that Youngbae had given him and a genie with a mesmerizing voice and a distracting body.

He smiles lightly to himself as he get up out of his bed and moves to his dresser to grab a pair of sweatpants. He pulls open the drawer only to realize that his favorite pair is missing. He pauses only briefly before closing the drawer and deciding to check his laundry just in case he left them there and just forgot. As he exits his bedroom, however, he comes face to face with his sweatpants…on the legs of the very person, thing, which he thought to be merely a creation of his sleeping mind.

“Good morning.” Daesung says, and his voice is smooth and soft. Jiyong is so shocked that he momentarily focuses on just the simple breathy sound of Daesung’s voice and tries to relate it to the harsher and deeper sound that he remembers from the night before.

“Are you still sleeping?” and this time, this time Jiyong can hear something similar to the commanding voice that he remembers from the night before. He tilts his head up from Daesung’s sweatpants-clad legs and looks at his face.

“You’re wearing my sweatpants.” Jiyong says, his voice only a little strangled as he fights to keep his attention focused on Daesung’s face. Daesung smiles and shakes his head lightly.

“You’re difficult to understand,” Daesung says, turning to fully face Jiyong in the hallway and crossing his arms over his chest. “but it’s interesting. You forgot that I was here?”

Jiyong nods absently and runs his hand through his unkempt hair. Without saying anything he looks down at the ground and shuffles past Daesung and into the kitchen. He puts some water on to boil and then leans back against the counter, a long sigh breaking free from his mouth as he leans his head back and closes his eyes. After a few short moments he hears the soft but steady and sure stride of Daesung as he enters the kitchen and stops only a few feet in front of him.

“You’re infuriating.” Daesung says, but there doesn’t seem to be any real anger behind the statement, he’s just letting Jiyong know. It makes Jiyong smile, because it reminds him of how Youngbae talks to him and deals with him; frustrated, amused, and ultimately full of understanding.

“Too much interaction, too soon.” Is all Jiyong says, he doesn’t even bother to open his eyes or move at all. He imagines Daesung’s lips tightening lightly and his eyebrows furrowing just a little bit at the statement. He doesn’t bother to look to see if he’s correct in imagining it, but it alarms him how easy he finds it to picture the man as vividly as he does.

Daesung is silent, he doesn’t move or make any attempt at conversation until nearly three minutes later when the kettle boils and the whine of the steam visibly startles Jiyong out of whatever reverie he had fallen into. As Jiyong takes out two mugs and various different types of tea, Daesung’s eyes follow him. Jiyong takes his mug of tea and sits up on the counter, holding the mug between both hands.

“I have a question about the wishes.” He says suddenly. Daesung is taken by surprise at the outburst and his stance weakens momentarily as he tries to find his footing.

“What kind of question?” Daesung asks. Jiyong smiles lightly over the brim of his mug. It’s clear that Daesung isn’t used to people actually thinking about the wishes, and it’s also clear that Daesung finds him thoroughly confusing.

“Why is it three?” Jiyong asks, and he sets his mug down beside him, tilting his head to the side and staring at Daesung. Daesung unfolds his arms and readjusts his stance, moving his gaze to the cupboard above Jiyong’s head.

“I don’t know, it always has been for me. I can offer more but will still be sent back into the lamp after three.” It’s obvious that Daesung doesn’t like answering questions that he doesn’t have a definite answer to; Jiyong decides that he likes asking those types of questions.

“What would you do if I refused to wish for anything?” Jiyong asks, picking his mug up again mostly so that he can hide his face behind it.

Daesung is quiet for a while just staring at Jiyong. He tilts his head to the side as a look of intrigued contemplation crosses his face. He takes a deep breath in and lets it out sharply.

“I don’t know. Though I must say that I doubt you would last for very long,” The distant and commanding tone had crept its way back into Daesung’s speech and Jiyong is oddly thrilled by that. “No one can, the lure of being able to have whatever you want in the palm of your hands is too strong to deny for long.”

Jiyong rolls his eyes and takes a large gulp of his tea before placing the mug in the sink, hopping off of the counter afterward.

“Yeah, whatever.” He says, moving past the table where he had left the tea and the mug he had taken out for Daesung. “Drink your tea; I’m going to take a shower.” And with that, Jiyong exits the kitchen without looking back and moves as leisurely and confidently as he can manage all the way to the bathroom.

Once in the bathroom he closes the door and locks it behind him. He leans back against the now-locked door and lets out a breath that ruffles the messy hair that had fallen in front of his eyes in his hurry. He’s not sure what it is about Daesung exactly; but as draining as social interactions usually are for him, especially just after one of his bouts of seclusion, he doesn’t want Daesung to leave and even more confusing is that he doesn’t find Daesung nearly as draining to be around.

He pushes himself off of the door and pads over to the sink so that he can look at himself in the mirror. It isn’t like Daesung talks a lot, and they really can’t possibly have anything in common since Daesung is probably thousands of years old and spends most of his time locked in a bitty lamp. Jiyong rubs his hand over his face and squeezes his eyes shut as tightly as possible before opening them again and staring at his reflection.

“Honestly, he materialized out of smoke. I can’t be attached to a smoke-person.” He mutters at his reflection. He knows that it’s not exactly just attachment, but he’s not willing to say out loud that he finds his genie terribly attractive.

 _His genie_. God, he hopes he doesn’t keep thinking about Daesung like that. That’s a problem, because Daesung is a genie and he doesn’t belong to him and he just needs to get him away so that he can have his life back. _It’s only been a night, it’s not like he’s been here that long._ No, no he needs to stop thinking like this because it’s not constructive. His mind is playing tricks on him, he should have brought the phone in with him so that he could call Youngbae and ask him what to do.

 _And have him worry because you think you have a real live ‘genie’ in your kitchen?_ Jiyong groans and grabs onto the sides of the sink, holding himself up while he hangs his head over it. This is a mess; maybe he should just wish for three stupid things and get it over with. _But then Daesung will just be stuck back in his lamp for who know how long._ He needs to stop thinking like this, it’s not helping him any. Daesung had done it before, he can do it again, he’s definitely not a weak person.

 _What will the next owner be like? Will they take advantage of him?_ Jiyong didn’t like the thought of Daesung having ‘owners’, it made him cringe and he was severely uncomfortable with the fact that he himself could be considered Daesung’s ‘owner’. He held Daesung’s future fate in his hands, but he didn’t know how to help him and he knew that Daesung wouldn’t tell him because he had already asked the night before.

Frustration makes Jiyong clench his fists tighter around the porcelain edges of the sink before violently jerking his arms. The bowl of the sink didn’t even move and the strange feeling of irony that that fills him with makes him laugh. He lifts his head back up to stare at his reflection again before deciding to just take his shower and get it over with.

His shower takes far less time than usual. He doesn’t spend endless minutes daydreaming and he doesn’t gaze misty-eyed off into the distance for moments on end; he washes his hair, quickly scrubs his body and face, and is out in less than five minutes. It’s only after he’s toweled himself dry that he realizes that he doesn’t have a new change of clothes with him. He decides that it can’t be that big of a deal and so he wraps the towel around himself and hurries out of the bathroom and across the hall to his room.

Before going in, however, he pauses briefly to look down the hall and into the kitchen. He spots Daesung sitting at the table, holding the mug that he had left out for him and staring at the opposite wall. Jiyong considers stopping to stare as he finds the far-off look on Daesung’s face terribly intriguing, but he catches himself and continues on his way to his room. He changes quickly into a simple outfit of jeans and a t-shirt before padding quickly and as quietly as possible out of his room and down the hall into the kitchen.

He manages to get to the doorway without Daesung noticing his presence. The far-off look on Daesung’s face is captivating, and Jiyong stands by the door for a few moments just looking. His eyes scan over Daesung’s strong jaw-line and the curve of his nose. He decides that he likes Daesung’s profile almost as much as the current look on his face. After about a minute, Daesung’s concentration seems to snap, and he blinks, twitching his head to the side before shaking it and looking down at the mug in his hands. Jiyong takes this as his cue to move into the kitchen.

He takes the seat across from Daesung and stares down at the tabletop. They are both silent and Jiyong wonders if Daesung has ever wanted someone to talk to, or even what his friends were like when he was human.

“Have you decided on a wish?” Daesung asks, his voice sounds tired, almost bored.

“I want…” Jiyong starts, but realizes that he doesn’t really know what to say. He puts his hands up onto the table and starts playing with his rings. Daesung leans forward, intrigued but also cautious.

“I didn’t think you wanted to wish for anything.” Daesung says, and Jiyong thinks that he sounds a little sad.

“I don’t want to wish for…” He sighs and pauses, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. Daesung tilts his head to side, and even though Jiyong can’t see him, he knows that Daesung did. “I want you to be happy.”


	4. Chapter 4

Daesung just stares at him, the same expression frozen on his face. It very slowly transforms into shock before moving onto confusion. It finally comes to rest at what Jiyong can only describe as ‘disbelief’.

“What?” Daesung’s voice is back to having that breathy, comforting sound that Jiyong likes, but Daesung’s confusion makes it rise just a little higher than he probably intended. Jiyong kind of enjoys Daesung’s reaction, he likes that he was able to catch the genie off guard.

“You heard me.” Jiyong says, his voice a little lower than he anticipated. “I want you to be happy. I don’t have any other wishes. I have what I need.” Jiyong stops himself from continuing his speech as he knows that if he continues he will say something about how the ‘only other thing he needs is Daesung’s happiness’ and that’s a little more than he’s willing to share.

Daesung’s mouth has fallen open slightly, and his eyes are scrunched in confusion; it’s like he’s trying to read JIyong’s mind, find out a hidden motive or agenda. Jiyong squirms in his seat, wishing silently that he had just kept his mouth shut and gone for the ‘no wishes’ approach.

“Do you…” Daesung tries to speak but pauses and shakes his head. “In order for me to grant your wish, it has to be a wish.” He pauses again and leans back in his chair. “You will have to be more specific, because you don’t know what would make me happy and what that happiness could cost.”

Jiyong tilts his head to the side and leans forward, placing his hands on the table in front of him. He bites his lip and watches Daesung’s face, searching for some clue as to what it is that he could wish for that would make Daesung happy. He watches as Daesung’s gaze switches down to his mouth quickly before darting back up to meet his eyes. Jiyong smirks lightly, his mouth slightly open, and watches as Daesung’s eyes repeat their previous gesture.

“If I wished that you weren’t a genie anymore, what would happen?” Jiyong asks, leaning back in his chair and looking away from Daesung’s face, over his head.

“Why would you wish that?” Daesung asks, and Jiyong looks at him quickly to see how he is reacting. Daesung’s face is tinged with red and he’s looking down at his hands. He doesn’t seem near as commanding and powerful as he did when he first appeared; Jiyong thinks it’s cute.

“Why wouldn’t I? Do you like being a genie?” Daesung opens his mouth to answer but Jiyong isn’t done talking. “No, don’t answer that, just, what would happen? How can you be happy?”

Daesung opens his mouth like he’s going to answer, before narrowing his eyes and stopping himself. Jiyong watches carefully as the genie thinks, and wonders what he will have to give in order for this mysterious man to be happy.

“I have never really given much thought to what it would take for a human to set me free.” Jiyong immediately knows that this is a lie; he can tell by the controlled way that Daesung is speaking, but he doesn’t call him out on it. “To be happy…I want to be able to grant wishes as I please, not because I have to.” Daesung pauses and looks down at his hands again, “I don’t want to live in the lamp anymore, bound by the rules of its magic.” Daesung’s eyes go wide as he finishes speaking, as if he thinks he’s said too much.

Jiyong takes his time in replying; watching as Daesung looks around the room and at anything but him. He likes this feeling of control, but he doesn’t like how helpless Daesung seems to be. He doesn’t like that Daesung needs someone to control him in order for him to be free of confinement. Jiyong’s thoughts are cut short as Daesung hastily pushes his chair back and stands up.

“Please ignore me. Use your three wishes and I will disappear back into the lamp and you will not have to see me again.” He hesitates for a moment, and then he dashes out of the kitchen. Jiyong isn’t sure where Daesung imagines he will be able to hide considering the apartment isn’t that big, but he shakes his head and goes back to thinking.

 _How do you make this work?_ Jiyong isn’t sure how to answer that. He’s fairly certain that if he just wishes that Daesung wasn’t a genie, it could backfire and who knows maybe it would stop Daesung from ever having become a genie and then Jiyong will never have met him. Jiyong realizes that he’s too selfish for that, he wants to be around Daesung, to get to know him. _You could wish that he were set free from the lamp._ But then he would still be a genie, and it’s probably illegal to marry a genie.

Jiyong’s eyes go wide. _Marry a genie?_ He can’t believe that he just thought that. He shakes his head to rid his mind of the thought. How could he possibly go about this in a way that would work out in both of their favors? Jiyong knew that he was selfish; he knew that he could probably think of many ways to use his wishes so that Daesung could be free and happy. But he doesn’t want to use them like that, he wants to use them so that he can see or talk to a free and happy Daesung whenever he wants. He runs a hand over his face and decides that maybe he should call Youngbae first, before he decides anything.

He gets up from his seat at the kitchen table and walks out and into the living room where he finds Daesung sitting cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closed and his body perfectly still. He fights the urge to stop and stare, and instead moves quickly around him to grab the phone off of the table. Daesung opens his eyes and watches as Jiyong quickly punches the numbers into the phone before holding up to his ear and wandering into the study.

Jiyong shuts the door behind him and sits on the floor in front of it with the phone pressed tightly to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Youngbae! I need to talk to you.” Jiyong can hear papers shuffling in the background.

“Alright, I’ve only got a few minutes.” Youngbae says, and Jiyong wonders how he can be so patient all the time.

“It’s kind of silly, but…If you wanted to help make someone happy…” Jiyong knows immediately that beating around the bush like this won’t work, so he pauses and tries to come from a different angle. “No, scratch that. Hypothetically speaking, if you met a genie and you were given three wishes, what would you do?” Youngbae is silent on the other end for a moment before Jiyong hears him sigh.

“I don’t know Ji, I would have to think about it pretty seriously for a little while. I would want to make sure that my family was happy and that you were happy. I don’t know.” Jiyong is glad that Youngbae is actually thinking about this, he’s also glad that he and Youngbae think alike in this situation.

“What if the genie wasn’t happy?” Jiyong says, dropping his voice a little lower, a little more sadness dripping out than intended. He hears Youngbae take a deep breath and imagines him running his hand back and forth through his short hair as he thinks.

“Ah, Ji, I dunno. They’re basically slaves, right? If they were nice I would try and wish for their freedom…” Youngbae pauses and Jiyong knows that he is also considering the fact that even if they weren’t so nice he would find it difficult not to help them. “But I don’t know how you would do it. It would be tricky I suppose, you couldn’t just wish for them to be happy…”

“No, you couldn’t. It’s too vague, and it’s too selfish to wish that they would stay with you and it’s too ridiculous to expect them to.” Jiyong can’t help but let his frustration get the better of him. When he finishes speaking, Youngbae is silent for a moment.

“What’s up, Ji. What’s really wrong?” Jiyong lets his head fall back against the door, hard.

“I met someone, Bae…and ahh, this is difficult.” JIyong squeezes his eyes closed and lightly taps his head back against the door. He hears Youngbae take a deep breath and he wonders what Youngbae is thinking.

“How does this relate to the whole genie thing?” Youngbae asks, and now Jiyong wishes that he had been able to stick with the whole hypothetical situation.

“…They’re…different?” Jiyong says, but it comes out as more of a question and Jiyong can practically hear Youngbae’s mind spinning.

“Alright,” He says after a couple of seconds, “I would wish for the genie’s freedom. Because then whatever happens after that, they get to choose.” Jiyong nods slowly, his eyes still closed.

“Thanks, Bae.”

“No problem, Ji.” Jiyong hears rustling papers on Youngbae’s end and a voice that he recognizes as Seunghyun’s. “Alright, I’ve got to go back to work; Boss is being difficult.” Jiyong can hear the smile in his voice and laughs lightly.

“Tell him to stop being so difficult.” Youngbae laughs and says something to Seunghyun on the other end. Jiyong can hear Seunghyun’s deep voice as he responds to Youngbae.

“He said to shut up and get him something to publish and he’ll leave me alone.” Jiyong laughs and shakes his head.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

“Alright, I’m gonna go. Call me later to tell me how everything goes, yeah?” Jiyong nods and mutters back an agreement. He turns the phone off and stays sitting on the floor for just a little while longer.

With a final hit of his head against the door, he pushes himself up and takes a deep breath. He turns around and pulls open the door, pausing briefly to let his eyes search for Daesung who hasn’t move from his position on the floor. Jiyong smiles lightly and walks in, dropping the phone onto the table with a small clatter. Daesung looks up immediately, his eyes searching Jiyong’s face before looking down at the ground.

“I have a wish.” Jiyong says, moving over to sit on the floor in front of Daesung. Daesung’s lips twitch up into a smile.

“Only one?” He asks, tilting his head to the side. Jiyong thinks it’s the cutest face he’s ever seen; all innocent and questioning with a very definite manly appeal to it.

“I only need one.” But now that he’s definitely going to make the wish, he’s having trouble getting it out. He looks down at the floor and picks at the carpet with his fingers. “I wish for you to be free.”

It’s silent, and Jiyong doesn’t dare look up for a good minute and a half. When he finally does, he sees that Daesung is still sitting there, shirtless and wearing Jiyong’s sweatpants. The gold bands are still around his biceps and the bracelets are still around his wrists. He’s looking at Jiyong, his face set in a puzzled frown.

“Free?” He asks, and his voice is back to that impossible breathiness that throws Jiyong off every time.

“Yes, I want you to be free from the lamp. To not be bound by its rules anymore.” Jiyong sounds more confident than he feels, and he’s glad for that as he doesn’t actually know how this whole genie thing really works. Daesung’s mouth slowly twitches up into a small, but grateful smile.

“Really?” He asks, and Jiyong just nods his head. “Then…So be it.”

Jiyong is momentarily disappointed, as all Daesung does after he finishes speaking is close his eyes and nod once, almost imperceptibly. Then, without warning, the same smoke from the night before comes swirling out of the lamp, which Jiyong realizes that Daesung must have moved it from the center of the living room to right in front of the couch where they were currently sitting.

The smoke curls around Daesung and Jiyong panics thinking that maybe something is going to go wrong and that maybe the lamp will take Daesung back. But then the smoke starts to concentrate around Daesung’s arms so that it is blocking out the bands. Daesung stands up and the smoke curls around his ankles and also around his waist. Jiyong is confused for a moment but figures that the gold links must have also been around those places as well. He wonders briefly how he hadn’t noticed the gold band around Daesung’s waist, and figures that it’s probably for the best, as he wouldn’t want to admit to having known it was there in the first place.

The smoke tightens and it seems as if time has stopped as Jiyong watches, breath caught in his throat. Suddenly, the smoke disappears, revealing tanned skin where the gold bands used to be. Jiyong can’t see Daesung’s ankles, but he’s fairly certain that those bands are gone as well.

“How do you feel?” Jiyong asks, trying to catch a glimpse of Daesung’s face. Daesung takes a moment before answering him, looking at his hands and arms in wonder as he digests what has just happened. He finally looks over at Jiyong, and Jiyong isn’t certain if Daesung is happy or sad.

“You didn’t wish for anything for you. How am I supposed to…You didn’t wish for anything for you?” Jiyong smiles lightly up at Daesung before pushing himself up off the ground.

“No, not really, but this is much better.” Jiyong smiles brightly and walks up to Daesung, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Now I get to take care of you, I can’t just leave you out on your own.” He pats Daesung’s shoulder and starts to walk away toward his bedroom, “I’m going to get you something to wear, as much as I approve, we can’t have you walking around with no shirt on.” He can practically feel Daesung’s eyes burning holes into his back, unanswered questions ringing through his silent stare.


	5. Chapter 5

_What am I doing?_ Jiyong is fairly certain that he’s gone insane. He only met Daesung the night before, and he’s already forcing him to live with him. _Forever._ It had only been three hours since he had made his wish and he was already more attached than he probably had the right to be. _He doesn’t need to know how to survive on his own._ He had watched carefully and seemingly carelessly as Daesung tried on the too-tight t-shirt that was the only thing that Jiyong had to offer that might fit him. He had moved into his study and started writing while Daesung showered and changed into the slightly too-snug jeans and pulled that same shirt back over his head.

In reality, Jiyong felt more accomplished than he had in a while; it was only noon and he had freed Daesung and managed to put an end to one of the books he had been holding captive and unfinished for the past few months. _Now Seunghyun will be satisfied._ But he knew that he was being selfish, and he knew that it was crazy of him to still consider this whole thing – _what thing?-_ a good idea. He is swiveling back and forth in his desk chair, staring at a point just next to the door into the living room when Daesung ducks in, his hands clasping and unclasping nervously in front of him.

Jiyong slowly brings himself back to reality, focusing his eyes on Daesung’s nervous form. He lets his eyes travel down to Daesung’s tapping right foot and up to the lip that was being worried by his teeth. He pauses his sweep on Daesung’s lips for a short moment, congratulating himself on not pausing as often as his eyes had wanted, before making eye contact. Daesung immediately steps forward, never breaking eye contact.

“So, what now?” Daesung asks, shifting nervously on his feet. He doesn’t break eye contact though, and it’s Jiyong who starts to feel uneasy and looks away.

“Ah, we should go and get you some clothes. It’s been a long morning and I’m kind of hungry…” Jiyong looks over at the clock on his wall and pretends to pay attention to what he’s seeing. “If we leave now I can drop this manuscript off for editing and we can get something to eat before we go shopping.” Daesung nods mutely and Jiyong can see it out of the corner of his eyes.

He stands up and nods to Daesung who walks back out into the living room. Jiyong takes a deep breath to steady himself and packs the manuscript into a folder. He nods to himself once, knowing that it will help him to see Youngbae and Seunghyun quickly before he ventures off to spend more time alone with Daesung. _Daesung_. He just likes the sound of it. The name rattles through his brain constantly and he knows that that is part of the reason why he wants to keep the genie around. His mind turns for Daesung and this is the most productive and content he’s been in a long while.

It’s almost scary.

“What is the manuscript?” Daesung asks, tilting his head to try and get a look at the front of the folder. Jiyong shifts it in his arms and blinks, willing his brain to catch up with his surroundings as he moves through the living room and into the entryway with Daesung trailing.

“Uh, you don’t have any shoes.” Jiyong says in response, and immediately fights the urge to slap himself in the forehead. “It’s a book I’ve been writing. One of many.” Jiyong is too busy searching through his endless supply of shoes for a pair that Daesung can wear to notice the smile that lights up Daesung’s face.

“You write?” Daesung asks, awe lacing his voice. Jiyong is caught off guard and turns around, a pair of shoes dangling from his hand.

“Yes, why?” Jiyong isn’t sure why, but it’s important to him that Daesung approves. Daesung smiles and takes the shoes from Jiyong’s hand.

“I just didn’t know that you did. I would like to read something of yours, if you would let me.” Jiyong nods absently as Daesung drops the shoes carefully to the floor and starts to put them on. “These will be fine. Didn’t you want to go?”

Jiyong nods again and stands up, quickly pulling his own pair of shoes on before opening the door and ushering Daesung out. He barely remembers to grab his keys before he shuts the door and leads the way out to his car.

The car ride is fairly silent, as Daesung keeps his gaze directed out the window; making small noises of alarm or excitement every time he sees something that he might not have ever seen before. Jiyong had to stop himself from laughing when Daesung’s eyes went wide in panic as he started the car. The nervous way that Daesung clung to the door and the seat keeps a smile on Jiyong’s face for the entire ride.

It takes only ten minutes for them to reach the office that Jiyong needs to drop his manuscript off at, so they pull into the parking lot after a fairly short ride and Jiyong puts the car in park and looks over at Daesung.

“You coming in?” He asks. He says it nonchalantly, but on the inside he’s dying. He both does and doesn’t want Daesung to meet Youngbae and Seunghyun. He knows that a meeting between Daesung and Youngbae will be inevitable, but it still causes him a little bit of anxiety to think of them talking.

“Yes?” Daesung says, uncertainty making the answer sound more like a question. Jiyong smiles and reaches over, unbuckling Daesung from the seat before he unlocks the doors and lets himself out.

He waits patiently in front of the car as Daesung slowly gets out, and then they walk together toward the front door of the building. Jiyong waves at the receptionist as they walk in and she nods to him, quickly calling Seunghyun to let him know that Jiyong is there, as he directs Daesung into an elevator with him.

“What is this called?” Daesung asks, his hand trailing lightly over the mirrored area where the buttons were.

“An elevator.” Jiyong says, watching the numbers change as they head up to the 6th floor. His foot is tapping again and Daesung watches it before letting his gaze trail up to rest on his face.

“Are you nervous?” Daesung asks, and Jiyong can hear a hint of confusion rolling around in Daesung’s voice.

“Anxious.” Jiyong replies, far more truthfully than he had intended. “I haven’t been out in a while.”

Daesung nods and looks as if he’s about to ask another question before he thinks better of it and stays silent. The elevator comes to a halt and the doors slide open revealing a marble floor and another reception desk. Again, Jiyong barely spares the receptionist a glance, throwing a light nod in his direction before taking a right and stopping in front of an office door. There is a small glass part of the wall of the office, and Jiyong looks through it quickly before turning the handle on the door and letting himself and Daesung in.

Daesung follows silently behind, looking around him with wide eyes but a controlled expression. When Jiyong stops in front of a black desk where a man with short hair is sitting while poring over a stack of papers, Daesung switches his focus. Jiyong is smiling as he drops his folder onto the desk, causing the man to jump slightly before he looks up.

“Yah! I know they called you when I came in the building, stop pretending!” Though he sounds stern, it’s evident from the way that he’s standing and the bright smile on his face that he is just joking around. Daesung notices that the man behind the desk seems well aware of this fact as his face had split into a large smile.

“I would never pretend anything!” The man says, placing a hand to his heart. “They probably called Seunghyun, but he’s busy pretending to be important.” Jiyong laughs and taps his fingers lightly on the edge of the desk. “So, what’d you bring me?” Daesung gives the man credit, he is obviously aware of how to deal with Jiyong and what Jiyong’s actions mean.

“It’s finished.” Jiyong says simply, pushing the folder across the desk. Daesung watches the man raise an eyebrow, refusing to look down; Jiyong takes the hint. “The third one, about the birds.” The man nods as if that makes perfect sense and Daesung wonders if he will ever understand what’s going on.

“Who’s your friend?” The man asks, a polite smile falling onto his face and patience dripping from his words. Daesung realizes that it’s as if the man constantly has to remind Jiyong of his manners. Jiyong blinks and turns toward Daesung.

“Oh. Youngbae, this is Daesung.” Youngbae stands up and comes around his desk, holding his hand out. Daesung is struck by how short he actually is. “Daesung, this is my best friend, Youngbae.” Daesung nods and Jiyong watches as a bright smile finds its way across Daesung’s face. He reaches out and clasps Youngbae’s hand in a brief hand shake, and Daesung feels instantly relieved.

“Did you just meet?” Youngbae asks, and Daesung nods. Jiyong silently thanks Youngbae for having the forethought not to talk about the phone call. “Ah, so he hasn’t made you read anything yet, I bet.” Daesung nods again, sending a slightly puzzled look over at Jiyong.

“Ahh, stop it!” Jiyong says, making Youngbae laugh as he rests his hip against his desk.

“Don’t listen to him, he’s being uncharacteristically modest.” Jiyong covers his face with one hand and grabs Youngbae’s shoulder with the other, willing him to stop talking. Daesung finds the situation rather amusing, and decides that he enjoys Youngbae.

“Oh? What of his should I read?” Daesung asks, and Youngbae smiles leans forward, clapping a hand against Daesung’s shoulder.

“All of it!” He says, causing Jiyong to groan in embarrassment behind him. “But seriously, he has it all in his apartment, beg him to let you borrow, it’ll be worth it.” Youngbae looks over at Jiyong quickly before looking up at a clock on the wall. “Aish! I need to get back to work, I’ve got a meeting coming up soon and I’m sure you guys have things to do. I’ll get this in to Seunghyun, Ok?” Jiyong nods and Daesung copies him, smiling brightly.

“Yes, yes, sounds good. I’ll call you later, ok?” Jiyong says, already turning to leave. Youngbae waves his hand dismissively.

“Yes, I’m sure that you will. Have a good day! It was nice meeting you Daesung.”

Daesung smiles and waves a little as he follows Jiyong out; He doesn’t know much about Jiyong, but now he knows who to talk to if he wants to know more. They leave the building and walk quickly back to Jiyong’s car.

“I’m feeling pizza.” Jiyong says, sliding into the driver’s seat and reaching over to make sure that Daesung is buckled properly. Jiyong doesn’t know why he does it, he’s fairly certain that Daesung is competent enough to remember that small action from their previous stint in the car not even a half an hour previously, but the action was reflexive so he plays it off like it was nothing.

“Pizza sounds fine.” Daesung says, and Jiyong wonders how he is able to make his voice sound so soft and feathery at times when it can also sound so hard and manly.

They drive in silence again, but this time for a much shorter length as Jiyong decides to cut the driving time and skip out on his favorite pizza place in favor of the closest one. He doesn’t like the uncomfortable air radiating from Daesung when they are in the car, and he wishes that he knew a way to make Daesung feel more comfortable. They get out of the car and Jiyong resists the urge to unbuckle Daesung’s seatbelt for him.

“What type of pizza do you want?” Jiyong asks as they slide into a booth and look over the menu. Jiyong lies the menu flat between them and points at the list of choices.

“I don’t know.” Daesung responds, and Jiyong wonders if he has ever had, or heard of pizza before.

“Well, there is a list of types here; is there anything that you don’t like?” Daesung shakes his head quickly with only a quick glance at the menu. Jiyong furrows his brows and briefly entertains the possibility that Daesung can’t read. The waitress comes up to the table and Jiyong orders the first thing on the menu and falls into quiet contemplation, his eyes never leaving Daesung’s face.

“What?” Daesung asks, half-amused and half-concerned. His mouth turns up slightly into a smile, but his eyes remain wary.

“I’m just thinking.” Jiyong says, leaning forward with his elbows up on the table. “I don’t know much about you. I don’t know what you like or dislike. I don’t know what you do for fun or what your family was like…” Daesung’s smile becomes a little brighter and he leans in a little closer.

“I could say the same about you.” Jiyong scoffs and Daesung’s eyebrow twitches up in silent question.

“You could ask people about me, though. Like Youngbae? Dude, he would be so ready to tell you anything you wanted to know.” Jiyong finishes and his eyes go wide as he claps a hand quickly over his mouth. Daesung’s eyebrow shoots up again. “Forget I said that. Wait, you don’t even know how to get in touch with Youngbae, so it’s fine.”

Daesung smiles, “That shouldn’t be a problem as you two seem so close. I should be able to see him again soon, right?” Jiyong contemplates cutting off all ties with Youngbae, only realize how painful that would be.

He pouts, “No digging through him for information until I know more about you. It’s only fair as I don’t have a third party to go through for information on you.” Daesung just keeps smiling, and nods lightly. Jiyong takes that as acquiescence and so when the food comes he feels a lot more comfortable.

They finish eating and Jiyong decides that it would probably be best to just walk to the nearest clothing store.

As they begin to shop, Daesung thinks that he may be in over his head. When Jiyong shops, it would seem that Jiyong _shops._ They had been to only two stores and Daesung was now the proud owner of far more pairs of pants and socks than any one man need be. Unfortunately for Daesung, they were far from done as he still needed shirts and shoes. He was ready to just give up on those, as they had gone to two more stores where Jiyong found the selection to be lacking, but the way that Jiyong looked at him while he wore the borrowed shirt was enough to make him agree that shirts that fit him properly were a grand idea.

He also secretly enjoyed trying the clothes on and waiting for Jiyong’s reaction. Jiyong refused to go into the actual fitting room, though he had intoned more than once that it would make the shopping trip move along faster. Instead, he either sat or stood just outside the door depending on the store, and waited for Daesung to change and come out. Jiyong would give him a quick once over, deciding firmly and quickly whether the clothing was acceptable, before sending Daesung back into the changing room and holding his hand over the top of the door for whatever piece of clothing he was taking off.

It was nearing 7:00pm when they returned to Jiyong’s place. The number of bags was monstrous and Jiyong had Daesung drop them in the living room while he made dinner and a call. While he waited, Daesung sat on the floor in the living room, the bags of new clothing surrounding him. He didn’t know what was happening, or why Jiyong was acting the way that he was. All that he really knew was that he was happy.

He was actually happy and he knew that it wasn’t the random material things that Jiyong had dumped on him, or even the fact that he was free from the lamp. He didn’t know exactly what it was that was making him feel happiness, but he knew that it was because of Jiyong.


	6. Chapter 6

“Youngbae?” Jiyong whispers into the receiver of his phone, “Youngbae pick up the phone!” Jiyong whispers frantically, his fingers tapping on the counter as he leans against the wall next to it. It was 7:15pm and Jiyong had been calling Youngbae repeatedly for the past 5 minutes. It wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary for Youngbae not to pick up the phone. If he were on a business call, or if he was at a meeting or something, he definitely wouldn’t answer; but Jiyong had said he would call, so why wasn’t Youngbae answering.

Jiyong starts to lower the phone from his ear; two rings shy of the five that would signal Youngbae’s answering machine to pick up, when he hears Youngbae answer.

“Hello? Jiyong?” Youngbae says, his voice tilting up at the end and making it sound like a question; like there is the chance that it could be someone else.

“Yes, hi.” Jiyong responds, and it’s suddenly awkward, like he doesn’t know what to say or why he’s called.

“I just got back, we had a dinner. How was your day?” _With Daesung…_ It isn’t said, but it’s hanging there at the end of the sentence and Jiyong knows better than to avoid it, especially since it was the reason that he was calling in the first place.

“I don’t know what I think I’m doing, Bae. I really don’t.” He says, closing his eyes and hoping that now that he has it out there, everything will get better. He hears Youngbae take in a breath, and then shuffling as, he assumes, Youngbae is moving to the kitchen to sit down.

“I’m not really sure I’m the one to help you…You know I’m not good with relationships and feelings.” Jiyong freezes mid-breath; this wasn’t what he was asking for, was it? It’s unlike Youngbae to misinterpret what Jiyong is trying to say. Youngbae had said it jokingly, his sentence ending in a light laugh, but the laugh wasn’t intended to make the whole thing into a joke; just his love-life and Jiyong knew that.

“I don’t…I don’t know.” Jiyong says, as if that answers anything.

“Alright, let’s see then.” Youngbae says, and Jiyong can picture him sitting straighter in his chair and pretending to pull glasses over his eyes. “You met him sometime last night, after I left.” Jiyong makes a small humming noise in agreement. “I’m going to assume that he spent the night and then skip over that aspect and jump to this morning.” Jiyong lets out a small bark of laughter and puts his hand quickly up to his mouth as he peers out into the hallway to make sure that Daesung didn’t hear. “Right, uh, so he was wearing your clothes when you two came in. And actually no, I’m going to go back because at some point you finished writing one of your projects and you called me.”

Jiyong nods even though he knows that Youngbae can’t see him. “Yeah, after I called you I talked to him and then he took a shower and I finished the book.” Jiyong can almost hear Youngbae shake his head in bewilderment.

“Ah, yeah, ok. So then you come to the office and he definitely doesn’t fit in your clothes. It’s a wonder the receptionists didn’t have heart attacks…remind me to check on them tomorrow.” Jiyong laughs and leans his head back against the wall. “And then you had lunch and I’m going to guess that you went shopping because there is no way in hell you would have left him wearing those clothes much longer, _no matter how much you enjoyed looking at him in them._ ” Jiyong nods along with the sentence before stopping and making an odd gurgling sound. There was no way that Youngbae just said that. It was impossible that that was not just implied in the rest of the sentence.

“Jiyong? You alright? I’m not blind you know.” Jiyong snaps back out of his thoughts and is forced to admit that Youngbae actually said that and that he apparently definitely stares at Daesung far more than he realized.

“Yeah, sorry…I just. It’s all so quick and I don’t know what’s happening and I feel like I’m losing control.”

“You looked like you were in complete control when I saw you, if that makes you feel any better.” Youngbae says, his voice trying to soothe Jiyong’s frazzled nerves. “And, he pays just as much attention to you, if not more. So don’t worry about it, whatever you are feeling is reciprocated.” Jiyong laughs lightly, more as a reaction of embarrassment than anything else.

“Yeah…I wish I knew what the feeling was though. That would make this much easier to handle.” Youngbae laughs and Jiyong pictures him shrugging his shoulders and hunching forward, his elbows on the table.

“I think that you do. You are far more perceptive and aware of yourself than you are pretending to be right now.” Youngbae says and Jiyong knows that he’s right, but it’s too much too quickly, so Jiyong can’t let himself accept it.

“Yeah, well…” He just leaves it at that, and knows that Youngbae will understand.

“Alright, Ji, alright.” He says, and Jiyong knows that he’s going to change the topic. “So, when do I get to have a chat with your Mr. Genie?” Jiyong hadn’t really been expecting that, and his jerky reaction causes him to trip over himself and fall into a heap on the floor. The noise reverberates through the house and he can hear Daesung’s hurried footsteps even through his own laughter. “Oh God Ji, did you trip yourself? I’ll watch what I say from now on, goodness.” Youngbae says, laughing lightly as Jiyong tries to regain his composure.

He looks up at Daesung who is standing over him, a hand held out to help him up and a look of worry etched across his face. “He’s right here if you want to talk to him now.” Jiyong says, and he hadn’t really meant it but when Daesung cocks his head to the side in question, his hand still outstretched, Jiyong knows he’s going to hand the phone over. “I have to make dinner anyway.”

“Oh, yeah!” Youngbae says, clearly surprised by Jiyong’s suggestion. “You haven’t eaten yet? For shame, get on that.” Jiyong just rolls his eyes and shoves the phone into Daesung’s outstretched hand, pushing himself up off of the floor in the process.

“Talk, talk! I’m going to make dinner. Don’t get your hopes up about its taste.” He says, shoving Daesung out of the kitchen.

Once Daesung is out of the kitchen and Jiyong is certain that he is both talking to Youngbae and far enough away, he takes a deep breath and sets about cooking. Jiyong is not an excellent cook; he has the basic skills and is able to boil water and cut things…but actually making a full meal? Not really his strong point. That’s why when he’s been out of touch for a while Youngbae will stop by and make dinner. It’s also why he knows every good restaurant within a fifteen minute car ride.

He stands in the center of the kitchen for a few moments, taking stock of his surroundings and trying hard not to think of this as a date. Jiyong knows that it could definitely be considered one, what with the fact that they barely know each other, though Youngbae is probably taking care of that on the phone right now, and Jiyong did buy Daesung a ton of clothes and basically force him to move in with him.

On the other hand, Jiyong can always look at this as a casual dinner between roommates or friends. He often has dinner with Youngbae, and that’s never a problem. He’s even had dinner with Seunghyun on occasion, so this really isn’t that big of a deal. _But it is_. And that is really the biggest problem. Jiyong taps his chin as he stares at the cupboard before deciding to just go with spaghetti and whatever random vegetables he can find to go in it. Grocery shopping would be a priority now that Daesung is also living here, as Jiyong pictures Daesung as the type who likes home-cooked meals and who wouldn’t let Jiyong get away with not eating anything substantial for two weeks straight.

He shudders at the thought of grocery shopping. On the bright side Daesung doesn’t have a job so he would always be able to go with him; there are too many people at the supermarket for him to be comfortable going alone. He starts the spaghetti and pulls out all of the canned vegetables that he can find, along with the only can of spaghetti sauce. He’s lost in the cooking process when Daesung walks into the kitchen 20 minutes later. He gets Jiyong’s attention and hands him the phone before hovering around the stove where the food is almost done cooking and being tossed together.

“Hello?” Jiyong says, struggling to hold the phone up to his ear while carrying the pot of spaghetti over to the sink to be strained.

“Hey Ji, just wanted to talk to you quickly before I headed off to bed.” Youngbae says, his voice chipper but with an edge of tiredness closing in.

“You’re so old, going to bed at barely 8:00pm.” Jiyong says as he pours the spaghetti into the strainer.

“Not all of us can live like we’re in Paris, Ji. Dinner at eight is odd. Do you even have food in the kitchen?” Jiyong makes a noise and continues with his dinner preparations. “Right, so I talked with Daesung, and I really like him,” Youngbae says, and Jiyong feels relieved, which surprises him since he wasn’t aware he was worried. “He’s interesting, intelligent, and engaging…But Ji…Ji he can’t read.”

The pot that Jiyong had just grabbed off of the stove nearly fell from his hands. Daesung managed to help him steady it before taking it away from him to finish the prep himself. Jiyong lets Daesung take over and quickly sits down at the table.

“What?” Jiyong asks, surprised that even that much made it out of his mouth. He looks up at Daesung and watches as the man handles the different pots and bowls that Jiyong had haphazardly taken out with ease.

“He can’t read. I don’t know how, or why, I don’t know where you found him and I don’t particularly want to know because somehow I think I won’t believe you; but he can’t read.” Jiyong let’s Youngbae’s words roll over him and it slowly sinks in. He keeps his eyes trained covertly on Daesung, and he feels bad because he knows that Daesung is aware that they are talking about him. Jiyong momentarily feels bad for his overreaction to the news, but then stops; reading and writing have always been a large part of his very being, so it’s only natural for him to be so completely floored by this kind of news.

“Thanks.” Jiyong says.

“Yah, no problem. And Ji?” Youngbae says. Jiyong makes a small noise in acknowledgement. “I’m glad you’ve met someone. Don’t forget to call.” Jiyong panics slightly, and fights to keep control as he wonders if Youngbae is finally giving up on him.

“You can call too, you know. I’m here, always.” Jiyong says, his slight panic causing him to speak quickly. Youngbae chuckles lightly on the other end.

“Yeah, you are. I’ll drop by sometime soon; Daesung’s promised me a fashion show. You better be there or there will be no one to properly explain the choices to me.” Jiyong smiles brightly and nods. They say their goodbyes and Jiyong hangs up, placing the phone on the table in front of him.

He doesn’t look up until Daesung gently places a serving of spaghetti in front of him. He jumps slightly at the sight of Daesung’s arm moving into his line of vision.

“Ah, you didn’t need to do that!” Jiyong says, and he stands up, trying to usher Daesung into his seat. Daesung just shakes his head.

“No, it’s fine. Sit down.” Daesung succeeds in pushing Jiyong back into his seat, grabs another bowl of spaghetti and sits down across from Jiyong.

Jiyong eats slowly, staring at his bowl while trying to figure out what to say to Daesung. He casts his eyes up briefly, noting that Daesung is barely touching his food; tapping his fork against the bowl lightly.

“What’s the matter?” Jiyong asks, taking this as an opportunity to start some sort of conversation. _Why is it so hard? Youngbae didn’t seem to have a problem talking to him._

Daesung looks up at him, a small smile on his face. “You think a lot more than you talk, don’t you?” Jiyong is confused by this and furrows his eyebrows, trying to figure out how to respond. “It’s ok, I was just curious. You get so quiet sometimes and you seem to wander off.” Daesung’s smile gets a little brighter. “Youngbae said that you just have a lot running through your head; that you’re always thinking. He said that sometimes I would have to start conversations, while other times…” Daesung blushes, realizing that he’s giving away more than he intended. Jiyong smiles, a little slyly, and leans in a little bit.

“Other times I just don’t shut up?” He asks, and watches as Daesung’s face becomes even redder. He laughs softly. “Yeah, it’s true though, don’t worry. Youngbae wouldn’t lie to you.” Jiyong feels the need to stick up for Youngbae, though he knows that Daesung probably hadn’t even considered saying or meaning anything bad about him.

“No, I know that he wouldn’t. He’s a very honest person.” Jiyong’s eyes go wide before he’s able to control his face. _What on earth did they talk about_? Daesung didn’t notice though, because he was back to staring at his fork.

“Are you not hungry?” Jiyong asks, concern working its way into his features.

“I am.” He says, and he smiles again shyly before looking up. “But you aren’t eating either.” Jiyong’s lip quirks up at the side and he nods. He motions for Daesung to eat and they finish their meal together in silence.

Jiyong briefly considers leaving the dishes for tomorrow, but realizes how much pain it causes him to have things stay dirty for longer than is needed. He sets about clearing the table and Daesung tries his hardest to help out. It’s as Daesung is putting the leftovers into the fridge that Jiyong realizes he hadn’t even thought to bring up the fact that Daesung couldn’t read. He knows he needs to address it because it could become a problem, but a part of him doesn’t want to because he wants to write about him with the security that he won’t be able to read it.

 _Selfish_. It’s a word that keeps popping up, and Jiyong knows that he’s far more selfish than he has any right to be. He finishes washing the dishes and ushers Daesung out into the living room. He grabs the remote off of the TV stand and tosses it to Daesung.

“Turn it to the History channel or something, I’m feeling educational.” Jiyong says as he walks toward his study. “The guide is on the table next to you.” He says as he walks through the door. He doesn’t really need anything from the study, and knows that he’s being rather cruel, but he wants to see if Daesung will admit to him that he can’t read. He only waits a few seconds before coming back out with a magazine in his hand.

He sits down next to Daesung on the sofa and notices that the TV is on and Daesung is staring at the guide.

“What channel is it on?” Jiyong asks, leaning over to look over Daesung’s shoulder. He wasn’t on the correct page, so Jiyong nonchalantly reaches down and flips to the channel listings. He trails his finger down the page, muttering the channel names as he passes them, before coming to a halt at the History channel. “Ah, here it is!” He pulls the remote out of Daesung’s hand and changes the channel. They are both silent until Daesung, still clutching the TV Guide, looks up at the TV.

“I can’t read.” He says, and Jiyong notes that Daesung is staring straight ahead, and he’s put on his manly voice again.

“Oh.” Jiyong says, and he lets his eyes go wide as he turns to fully face Daesung. “Well…I can fix that.”

Daesung cocks his head to side, turning just a little so that he can see Jiyong’s face. “Really?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, I’m a writer, I have first-hand knowledge of this whole ‘reading’ thing.” He uses air-quotes as he says ‘reading’ and Daesung smiles. “But, I think it’s bed time.” Daesung looks at him, a little confused.

“But I thought you wanted to watch TV?”

“Nah.” He says, waving his hand dismissively at the television. “Not in the mood anymore. Let’s find a neat corner to place all of these bags and tomorrow we’ll go back through them. You can wear my sweatpants to bed tonight.” He directs Daesung to a corner where he can place the bags of clothes and busies himself with preparing a more comfortable place to sleep on the floor.

As Jiyong falls to sleep just a little later on, he wonders how he’s going to teach Daesung to read. A small part of him also wonders where he plans to store all of the clothing and where a more permanent bed for Daesung might be.


	7. Chapter 7

 

Daesung lay awake on the bed that Jiyong had made for him on the floor in the living room. He had been awake for an hour, just lying there and staring at the pile of bags Jiyong had made him move into the corner. He was more than grateful to Jiyong for everything that he had done for him; he just wished that he understood why.

He laughs harshly to himself. _Look at you, making wishes so rashly, like a normal human._ He can’t help but to berate himself for his ironic choice of words. He had yet to try using any of his magic even though he knew without a doubt that he was still a genie; free from the lamp and eternal servitude, yes. Human? No. He was still a genie and he could feel the magic thrumming inside of him. Yes, he was very much a genie, and yes he knew that this could pose some problems for him.

 _Jiyong can still make wishes, and you can still grant them._ He wanted desperately to be human again; so much more now than he ever had before. He wasn’t sure what had changed, but he knew that more than being free from the lamp, he wanted to be free from eternal life so that he could enjoy it for what it was.

Sighing deeply, Daesung forces himself to sit up and stop thinking about his mortality. He looks around him for a moment, letting himself get lost in the feeling of Jiyong’s house. Everything in the living room screamed ‘Jiyong’ and when it was all together like this, it cast a very reassuring and comforting feeling that Daesung was slowly falling in love with. He takes another deep breath and stands up, folding all of the blankets that Jiyong had laid out as a bed and tucking them behind the bags of clothes. He doesn’t bother to find an outfit for the day as he knows that Jiyong will want to look through everything first.

He looks around the living room again and pauses as his eyes catch site of the lamp. It was underneath the sofa, partially hidden. It had probably been pushed under during the madness of all of the shopping bags and Jiyong making the bed. He moves closer and pulls it out, holding it up in front of him so that he can get a clearer view of it. He had looked at it briefly the morning before, while he was waiting for Jiyong to leave his study, but he hadn’t really paid attention to its details. He wanted to know what it was about it that had made Jiyong break down and rub it.

He knew that Jiyong knew the stories, and he also knew, thanks to Youngbae, that Jiyong was very superstitious and had a hard time keeping his imagination out of his reality. Daesung turns the lamp over in his hands, wondering what could have made such a superstitious person rub it. He wonders if it was the gems, or the porcelain in-lay on the top, but he instantly knows better because while those things fit Jiyong’s personality, they wouldn’t stop his hesitation. He flips the lamp on its side and looks at the bottom; there he sees the only letters he’s ever been able to recognize: his name.

 _Daesung_. It’s carved across the bottom of the lamp, neat and flowing, more art than writing. He runs his fingertip over it, wondering if Jiyong had seen it while looking at the lamp, but shakes that thought away. He hears heavy footsteps and then the door to the bathroom closes. He hears the shower turn on and he allows a smile to pass across his lips. He sets the lamp down on the small table next to the sofa where the TV Guide was resting innocently. Daesung’s face sinks into a small frown as he brushes his hand over the cover, recognizing only those letters that appeared in his name. His frown deepens as he remembers that Jiyong, the writer, now knows his secret.

Daesung had always found writers to be mysterious; when he was human, reading was not for the common man. He had considered reading and writing to be luxurious and exotic. They were things that only the wealthy could afford to do, but not all wealthy people were true writers. Literacy bred power, and he remembered clearly the day that he gave up his mortality because not only had he thought on it repeatedly since it happened, but because he had given it up thinking that he was beating the system. He had found a way to gain power without having to be able to read; gaining power was easy, reading was not. He shakes his head and lifts his hand from the Guide; literacy didn’t have quite the same mystery and allure in this time as it had in his.

He’s startled by Jiyong’s sudden appearance in the doorway, but fights hard not to show it. He had been too lost in his thoughts to hear the shower stop or else he would have been prepared for Jiyong’s entrance.

“Morning,” Jiyong says, exhaustion plain in his voice, and Daesung wonders if Jiyong is ever well-rested.

“Good morning.” Daesung replies, and watches as Jiyong’s eyes travel down from his face to his chest. He smirks lightly and crosses his arms, causing Jiyong’s gaze to snap back up to his face.

“Right, let’s get you clothed.” Jiyong says, staring for just a couple of beats more before shaking his head and making his way over to the pile of bags. “We bought quite a lot yesterday, huh?” Jiyong asks, and Daesung fights the urge to correct him; ‘we’ didn’t buy it, ‘you’ did. It’s on the tip of his tongue, but he refrains, walking over to stand beside Jiyong.

Jiyong is quick to tear through the purchases, taking everything out and putting them into separate piles. He scolds Daesung for not folding the empty bags nicely, and hits Daesung’s hands away when he tries to help straighten a stack of jeans. Daesung can’t help but to smile as he watches the calculated way that Jiyong moves through the piles and bags. After nearly an hour, a newly clothed Daesung exits the bathroom to see Jiyong eyeing the hall closet, his arms crossed and his head tilted to the side.

“What’s the matter?” Daesung asks, and Jiyong turns to look at him, his eyes slightly glossed over.

“How do you change your voice like that?” he asks, and Daesung is caught off-guard and left confused. Jiyong shakes his head and waves a hand in Daesung’s face. “You have this deep and authoritative voice; you used it when we first met. But then, then you have this voice, it’s soft and feathery, with the same hints of authority. I never know which you are going to use, it throws me off.” Jiyong says, and then he shakes his head and turns his attention back to the closet. “I’m trying to decide if I want to put your new clothes here or if I should just give up and clear a space for you in one of mine.”

Daesung blinks confusedly for a couple of moments, his mind having difficulty keeping up with the conversation. “I don’t…Two voices?” He manages to spit out. Jiyong turns to him  and pats him almost patronizingly on the shoulder before waltzing off into his bedroom.

“I think I’m going to just clear you some space in here.” Jiyong says, and Daesung just nods; he wasn’t really being given a choice anyway.


	8. Chapter 8

Jiyong realized part way through rearranging everything in his closet that he hadn’t given Daesung the chance to decide where he wanted to live. He peered out from the depths of his closet to see Daesung peering innocently in.

“Can I help you with anything?” Daesung asks, and Jiyong notes that he’s using his soft voice, making him wonder if it’s the way he normally talks. Jiyong blinks at him a few times, and then shakes his head.

“No, but I didn’t even ask you…I’ve been making all of your decisions for you…Are you OK with staying with me? It doesn’t have to be for forever.” Jiyong wishes that he felt as calm as he hoped that he looked. He wanted Daesung to stay far more than he probably should considering he barely knew the man- _genie_ \- but he couldn’t help it.

Daesung hesitates briefly, his face frozen in an easy smile. He licks his bottom lip and slowly moves into the closet, seemingly uncertain. Jiyong wonders if breathing is really necessary as he’s currently lost the ability; he hopes that Daesung isn’t aware of the effect that he has on him. Daesung squeezes into the tight space that Jiyong ha left for himself on the floor, and sits down.

“Where else would I go?” Daesung says, looking slightly unsure. Jiyong decides that the lip-licking had been less of a calculated gesture and more of a nervous reaction, which makes him feel infinitely better though it doesn’t return his ability to breathe.

“Youngbae has a real second bedroom… and you’re still a genie, you could…I dunno, travel the world? Do like Genie in Aladdin and wander the globe.” Jiyong says, gesturing off into the distance and trying not to show how much he would prefer that Daesung didn’t do that.

Daesung smiles and tilts his head to the side, “I’ve been to many places.” He starts, pausing to think about what he is saying before continuing, “But going alone would be pointless…I’ve lived long enough and seen enough people to know that.” He pauses again, and Jiyong tries not to read more into the words than he should. “I don’t think that Youngbae would want me to stay at his house…” Daesung finishes, laughing lightly.

Jiyong just shakes his head, “Youngbae would take you in in a heartbeat, but if you’re OK with staying here than good. I just need to finish this” he says, gesturing at the piles of clothing scattered around them on the floor, “and then we can move your clothes in here and work on where you will sleep!” He says it flippantly and with a light and chipper voice in the hopes that Daesung won’t think that he’s a problem because Jiyong doesn’t have a bedroom for him.

In fact, Jiyong would technically have a bedroom for Daesung if he hadn’t converted it into his extravagant study. Jiyong takes a short moment to feel bad about how selfish that was of him before he remembers that he could never in a million years have foreseen that he would need, or want, someone to live with him. Even if he _had_ thought about someone living with him, he wouldn’t have imagined them needing their own room. He stops himself from continuing this line of thought as he needs to be able to think clearly and it’s already difficult for him to do so when Daesung is around. _At least he’s fully-clothed._ This thought doesn’t help, and his cheeks go bright red as he remembers how aware Daesung was of his staring.

“Ah, I am fine on the floor, really.” Daesung says, and Jiyong does a small victory dance in his head over the fact that Daesung seems unable to read minds.

“No, no you can’t keep sleeping in the living room. That’s just terrible.” Jiyong has no idea where he can have Daesung sleep. “Let me just finish squaring all of this away and then we can talk about it.” And by talk, he means that Daesung isn’t going to be sleeping on the floor in the living room ever again. He knows, however, that Daesung probably isn’t aware of this hidden meaning and he’s ok with that because it leaves him with the upper hand.

Daesung nods and after Jiyong not-so-subtly tells him that he doesn’t want help, he wanders off to the kitchen to find something for them to eat. It doesn’t take Jiyong long to finish with his rearranging, and he leaves his newly organized and vastly cleaner closet only a short half hour later. He follows the sound of Daesung humming into the kitchen where he finds him cutting up some cheese to go into some egg mixture he has on the stove.

“Looks good” Jiyong says, coming up behind Daesung to peer over his shoulder. Daesung tenses lightly at Jiyong’s sudden appearance and proximity cause Jiyong to smile lightly as he pats him on the shoulder absently before wandering off to grab a couple of plates from the cupboard. Jiyong doesn’t ask where all of the food came from, in fact, he barely even registers what it is that Daesung is cooking.

Daesung smiles lightly and finishes what he’s doing, moving the pan over to the table so that he can dish out the food before placing it off to the side and sitting with Jiyong at the table. They eat in silence, Jiyong bouncing with anticipatory energy as if each bite were exceptionally exciting. Daesung just watches him, as Jiyong’s head is obviously in a different place.

“What are you thinking about?” Daesung asks, putting his fork down and leaning closer. Jiyong turns to face Daesung, a blank but innocent expression on his face.  He blinks a couple of times before he registers Daesung’s stare. His cheeks go pink and he shakes his head.

“Nothing, this is really good, I didn’t know you could cook.” Jiyong says, and smiles. Daesung knows that that wasn’t exactly what Jiyong had been thinking about, but he lets it be as he’s certain that he’ll figure it out soon enough.

Daesung barely finishes his thought before Jiyong stands up in order to reach across the table for a book that was lying next to the pan that Daesung had put down. He sits back down and pushes himself in close to the table before setting the book down between them and opening it to the first page. He looks over at Daesung and then points at the first word.

“Do you know what this says?” Jiyong asks, tilting his head to the side. Daesung looks down at what Jiyong is pointing at and leans in closer. It was a short word, but he couldn’t recognize it as it didn’t use any of the letters from his name. He shakes his head, and Jiyong nods. “So we’ll start with letters then!” Jiyong claps his hands before quickly shoving the rest of his breakfast into his mouth. “I’ll be in the study; can you just move your clothes into m-the closet?” Jiyong asks, before rushing out of the kitchen. “Come find me when you’re done!” Jiyong yells from the hallway.

Daesung sits there for a moment, his fork partway to his mouth, before he is able to register what just happened. He slowly finishes his food and puts away the dishes, a smile slowly starting to make its way across his face. He shakes his head and walks out to start moving his clothes.

Jiyong watches as Daesung lifts the small piles of clothing to carry them out and into the closet. He continuously finds himself mesmerized by the way that Daesung moves, along with everything else about the man. Jiyong shakes his head to snap himself out of it. _Genie_. Daesung is a genie, not a man, and no amount of wanting on Jiyong’s part will change that. He looks down at the papers that he had excitedly begun to prepare. He hadn’t realized that Daesung didn’t even know the basic alphabet; it didn’t matter though, as Jiyong was ready to help him.

Jiyong had turned down multiple teaching jobs from multiple Universities throughout the years, stating that his ability to write came from a source deep within himself, and teaching others how to properly read and write and analyze things just wouldn’t work. He lacked the ability, as Youngbae had become fond of pointing out after a tutoring incident in High School, to explain and withhold judgment. He was quick to frustration while helping others, he knew this about himself, and he never had the urge to help anyway so it ceased to be a problem after College.

But teaching Daesung how to read? That was a mission that Jiyong was ready to battle head-on. It was like the most exciting of challenges, and every time that Daesung seemed to grasp something, Jiyong felt himself grow happier. They spent the entire day poring over the alphabet worksheets that Jiyong had quickly drawn up, as well as working on small words and short sentences. The sense of accomplishment that Jiyong felt every time that a look of understanding and comprehension crossed Daesung’s face was enormous; Jiyong was starting to feel light-headed from the effort. Their session ended when both men fell into a fit of laughter after Jiyong’s over-enthusiastic shout of ‘CORRECT’ after Daesung managed to read a few short sentences without hesitation caused a stack of books to fall over behind him.

The phone starts to ring and they manage to reign in their laughter long enough for Jiyong to answer the phone with a small sense of composure. Daesung started cleaning up the mess of books and papers strewn across the floor while Jiyong talked. The phone call wasn’t very long, and soon Jiyong was back in the study, a smile still spread across his face.

“Let’s go out to dinner!” He says, and Daesung stops what he’s doing and looks at him, his head tilted to the side. “That was Youngbae, he’s gonna come pick us up. It’ll be fun! I promise.” The smile still plastered on his face Jiyong turns to leave. “I’m going to change. I’ll choose some clothes for you to change into.” With that, he walks off, leaving Daesung rather confused.

“But you chose this one earlier…?” He mutters softly, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. He shrugs his shoulders and follows slowly behind and waits outside Jiyong’s closet. Jiyong turns and comes out, pushing a new outfit into Daesung’s chest as he walks past.

“Go change, and shower.” He says, dismissing Daesung with a light shove and shutting the door behind him. Daesung stands in the hallway for a couple of seconds before wandering down to the bathroom to get ready.


	9. Chapter 9

Jiyong stands, uncertainly, in the middle of the hallway. He had shrugged Daesung off just moments before claiming that he most definitely could stand on his own, but he was now reconsidering that declaration. He needed to decide quickly where Daesung was going to sleep because he was well on the way to passing out on the spot. He takes a couple of steadying breaths, looking around him briefly to try and come up with a plan. _Shouldn’t have drunk so much._ But, it was too late to be upset by that now.

Youngbae had dropped them off after dinner at the door to the apartment building, and with nothing more than what Jiyong could only describe as a _smarmy_ wink, he had asked Daesung to make sure that Jiyong made it to bed alright and then left. Daesung had smiled down at the gape-mouthed Jiyong and placed one arm around his waist, helping him walk into the building and eventually down the hall to his place.

Jiyong catches his mind wandering and tries to remember what he was trying to do. He knew that it was urgent, but he just couldn’t for the life of him remember.

“Do you want me to help you get to your room?” Daesung asks, his voice sounding deep and authoritative. Jiyong smiles almost dreamily, recalling how much he had missed hearing that voice. Daesung takes Jiyong’s silence as a ‘yes’ and moves forward, grabbing him by the hand.

The sudden contact jars Jiyong’s senses and he stiffens, his breath catching in his throat. “No! No, no you need a bed.” He manages to stutter out. Instead of letting go of his hand, Daesung just moves in front of him, smiling.

“I have to make sure that you get to bed, or Youngbae will be upset with me.” Jiyong’s mind tries to force his mouth to shout ‘screw Youngbae’, but it doesn’t come out.

“If you don’t have a bed, _I’ll_ be upset with you.” Jiyong says, a pout finding its way securely onto his face. Daesung tries to hide the smile on his face by pretending to be serious.

“Ah, yes, well that would definitely be a problem.” Jiyong nods, because it most definitely would be a problem. “What should we do about that?” Daesung asks, and Jiyong notes again that Daesung’s voice has that nice deep and authoritative tone to it.

“You…You should sleep in my bed.” Jiyong says, before immediately turning bright red, but he can’t say anything because Daesung has grabbed his other hand.

“Ah yes, but that would pose another problem altogether.” Jiyong nods even though he’s uncertain about what this other problem could possibly be. “Where would _you_ sleep? I can’t have a bed if _you_ don’t.” Jiyong blinks and tries to come up with a solution to their problem.

“I’ll sleep here.” Jiyong says, his eyes drooping just a little bit as he speaks. Daesung squeezes his hands and directs his attention back to his face.

“No, no that won’t do. I can’t leave you out here.” Daesung says, and instead of waiting for an answer he starts pulling Jiyong toward the bedroom. “You need to go to sleep.” He says, pulling Jiyong forward and through the door into the bedroom.

Jiyong just nods, agreeing whole-heartedly, because he really was very tired. He lets Daesung pull him over to the bed, but when Daesung tries to let go of his hands so that he can help him into the bed, Jiyong holds on tighter.

“No, you’re tricking me.” He says, his voice sounding thick in his own ears. Daesung smiles and leans in a little closer.

“I’m just making sure that you go to sleep.” Daesung says, and Jiyong hears a slight note of hurt in his voice, but he brushes it away with a wave of his hand.

“No, you’re sleeping in the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor—“ Daesung was shaking his head and Jiyong disapproves of Daesung’s disapproval. “Yah, it’s either that or we both sleep on the bed!” He snaps, and Daesung laughs lightly.

“Is that what you want?” He asks, and Jiyong doesn’t remember what he’s talking about because Daesung moved just a little bit closer.

“Yes..?” He says, and it’s only slightly a question.

Daesung laughs softly and nods, “Alright then. Can I help you into bed now?” Jiyong nods, and lets Daesung help him up and under the covers. When he tries to let go of Jiyong’s hand to walk away, Jiyong stubbornly holds on and moves away from the edge.

Daesung laughs lightly again, and shakes his head with his eyes closed. He gets up onto the bed and lies down in the space that Jiyong had provided for him. “Happy?” He asks, closing his eyes, and settling in. Jiyong nods and curls up next to him, latching onto one of his hands before falling asleep.

It takes Jiyong a full minute to figure out where he is when the light coming in from his open window hits him square in the face and wakes him up. _Daesung_. His mind practically breathes the name and suddenly he’s on full alert, even though his brain is trying to beat its way out of his head at a dizzying pace. He opens his eyes as quickly as the pain behind them allows, and slowly the side of Daesung’s face comes into view.

Jiyong sucks in a breath and tries to move back, realizing that the up close and personal view of Daesung’s profile meant that he was much closer than he probably should be. He backs up just a little before realizing that he’s horribly tangled in the sheets and the only way to get any further away would end up waking Daesung up in the process. He closes his eyes tightly before opening them again and looking down at his hands, which he can now see (and feel) are wrapped tightly around Daesung’s hand and forearm. He doesn’t remember much from the night before, mostly just a blur of complaining about finding Daesung a place to sleep and Daesung’s smile, and he’s kind of glad as he really doesn’t want to know what he said or did to convince Daesung to climb into bed with him.

Daesung shifts and his mouth falls open slightly. The movement makes Jiyong look up quickly, and the new position causes him to lose his ability to breathe. _Happens a lot lately._ He’d rather not think about that, his head hurts too much at the moment for him to have any real thoughts of substance. Remembering the pain in his head causes him to groan involuntarily as it grows in sharpness. He can’t remember the last time that he’s been this hungover, but he can’t remember a lot of things at the moment, so he decides to give up on thinking.

Jiyong’s groan of pain was just loud enough to pierce through Daesung’s sleep-fogged brain and wake him up. He opens his eyes slowly and moves his free arm up into a stretch before settling it back down so that he can push himself up into a sitting position. He looks over and sees Jiyong curled into a ball, hands wrapped tightly around his arm and hand, with his eyes shut tightly. He can’t help but to smile lightly and reach his free hand over to run his hand through Jiyong’s messy hair.

“In pain?” He asks, and if Jiyong’s head weren’t pounding so spectacularly he would have noted that Daesung’s voice was back to the breathy murmur. Jiyong doesn’t answer; he just whimpers lightly and moves one of his arms away from Daesung’s arm to place it over his eyes.

Daesung smiles and pulls Jiyong’s other hand off of him so that he can get up and off of the bed. He stretches and then looks back at the bed and Jiyong. “What will make your head feel better?” He asks, trying not to sound too amused at the situation.

Jiyong moves so that he’s lying on his back and points off into the distance, “Medicine; in the bathroom cabinet; White bottle.” He says, the words coming out as barely more than a haggard whisper. Daesung smiles lightly and leaves the room quickly to try and find what Jiyong was asking for. He grabs four different bottles from the bathroom cabinet, wishing that he knew more about medicine to be of more assistance. He grabs a cup of water from the kitchen and hurries back.

Jiyong is sitting up straighter and he eyes the many bottles Daesung is carrying as he makes his way toward the bed. Daesung drops them down on the side of the bed and places the water on the nightstand next to him.

“I didn’t know which one…” He says, looking down at the pile. Jiyong cracks a tired smile and pats Daesung’s hand before reaching out and grabbing the bottle he wanted.

“I should have been more specific.” He says. “Go get dressed or eat or something, I’m just going to die here for a little while.” Daesung looks at him, concern written plainly across his face as he hesitates. “Really, I’m fine. Why don’t you call Youngbae? I just need to sleep some more.” Daesung agrees that Jiyong should definitely get more sleep, and after a couple more seconds of hesitation he backs slowly out of the room. It’s not until he’s out of the room that he realizes that all of his clothes are now in Jiyong’s room, so he rushes back in and quietly pulls some clean clothes from the closet before leaving again and closing the door softly behind him.

Jiyong laughs lightly and shakes his head. He could get used to having Daesung around. _You already have._


	10. Chapter 10

It had been a week, and Jiyong wasn’t certain how he was handling himself at all. He had somehow convinced Daesung to share his bed with him, and it wasn’t terribly uncomfortable and Jiyong only felt embarrassed a little bit. _Who are you trying to kid?_ He had managed not to blush too badly while explaining that until he could come up with a better solution, Daesung could share his bed. He hadn’t even stuttered, and had managed to say it with what he hoped was perfect nonchalance.

The actual act of sharing the bed was much more uncomfortable when it wasn’t happening. He was much more likely to feel awkward about the sleeping arrangements when they were going about their day than he was while falling asleep at night.  He felt awkward about it at the most random of times; during lunch, while Daesung is trying to read a short passage, when he’s brushing his teeth, in the middle of the night when he wakes up to go to the bathroom. That’s the hardest, Jiyong thinks, getting back into bed and seeing Daesung curled up under the covers, fast asleep and unaware of Jiyong’s sudden and ridiculous terror.

Jiyong couldn’t properly explain what it was about it that is so awkward – _How about the fact that you have a tendency to wrap yourself around him in your sleep—_ because Daesung didn’t seem to bat an eye at the situation. In fact, if Jiyong didn’t know better, he would say that Daesung must be basically unaware of his existence. Daesung talked to Jiyong, which is the only reason that Jiyong can’t say that about him. But Jiyong was fairly certain that Daesung didn’t forget how to breathe when they got a little closer than intended while making dinner in the kitchen.

“Jiyong?” Youngbae’s voice cuts through the fog clouding his brain and he looks up. “That’s better, where’d you go?” Youngbae was smiling lightly and Jiyong wonders how his friend was able to deal with him.

“Ahh…” He feels his cheeks heating up and he looks down for a couple of seconds before whispering, “Daesung.”

Youngbae lets out a loud bark of laughter and Jiyong looks up sharply, offended that Youngbae was making fun of him. He shoves Youngbae roughly and pouts causing him to laugh harder.

“Stop it!” Jiyong says, trying not to smile through his frown.

“Ah, I’m sorry Jiyong! It’s just, you’re so love-sick and it’s just, it’s sweet but it’s hilarious.”Jiyong’s eyes go wide and he looks around them, trying to spot where Seunghyun and Daesung were.

He doesn’t relax when he spots them. The two were standing over by a cluttered set of shelves on the far side of the room. It looked like they were talking, but when Jiyong glanced over at them; he could tell that Daesung had been looking in his and Youngbae’s direction.

“Shh! Not so loud!” Jiyong hisses, leaning in and pushing at Youngbae’s arm lightly. Youngbae just laughs again, his smile taking over his face. Jiyong glares at him and he calms down, ending his laughter on a sigh.

“Ah, Ji. It’s alright. If he isn’t aware of your…appreciation by now, then he’s blinder than I am.” Youngbae pats Jiyong on the shoulder and pushes himself up. “I’m going to go and see what they’re talking about; sitting here while you pine is boring.” He says it with a smile and sticks his tongue out at Jiyong before walking away.

Jiyong just pouts at him, crossing an arm over his chest while he shoos Youngbae away with the other. He doesn’t want to think about the fact that he may be very obviously attracted to Daesung. He knows that Daesung was aware of his staring when they first met, but he seriously hopes that he has gotten better at hiding it. _You haven’t._ He shakes his head and then jumps as he feels a hand gripping his shoulder.

“Aw come on! I wasn’t even being quiet!” Seunghyun says, laughing as he moves between the chair that Jiyong is on and the one that Youngbae had recently vacated. Jiyong just looks up at him, “Your boyfriend would rather talk to Youngbae, apparently.” He says, hooking his thumb over to where Youngbae and Daesung were now talking.

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Jiyong mutters, reaching forward to grab his drink up off the table in front of him. “He and Youngbae get along really well.”

“Mm, yes they do. Doesn’t that worry you?” Seunghyun asks, leaning back in his seat and playing with his glass. Jiyong looks up at him and tilts his head to the side.

“Why would it worry me? Youngbae’s my best friend and Daesung lives with me. I would be worried if they didn’t get along.” Jiyong wonders if there is something more that he should be worried about.

“Well, I mean…Youngbae knows so much about you, and you are so obviously and blindly… _attracted_ to Daesung…” Seunghyun lets his voice fade out and Jiyong realizes just exactly _what_ he should be worried about. He sneaks a peak over his shoulder at the pair and while they are deep in conversation, he’s certain that it’s not about him.

“Ugh, stop. Let’s talk about something else…How’s the girlfriend search coming?” Jiyong asks, turning his head back toward Seunghyun, a playful smirk crossing his face.

“About as good as Youngbae’s.” He says with a sigh, and Jiyong laughs.

“And you’re actually searching…that’s kinda sad.” Seunghyun reaches over to smack him, and Jiyong dodges, laughing happily.

On the other side of the room, Daesung looks covertly over Youngbae’s shoulder, trying to see what Jiyong is laughing about. He watches as Seunghyun jokingly reaches out to hit Jiyong, and Jiyong shies away.

“Daesung?” Youngbae asks, and Daesung slowly focuses his attention back on him. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” Daesung says, a smile moving across his lips. “Just thinking,” Youngbae rolls his eyes.

“Why does everyone feel the need to ‘just think’ while I’m talking to them? Am I that boring? Tell me, Daesung, truthfully.” Youngbae was pouting and Daesung couldn’t help but to laugh. He places a hand on Youngbae’s shoulder and shakes his head.

“No! No, you’re not boring! I just got distracted, I’m sorry.” Youngbae shakes his head, a small smile on his face.

“Yes, you got distracted by jealousy. What’s up?” Daesung makes a face at Youngbae for the comment about jealousy and then shrugs his shoulders and sighs.

“I heard you earlier; you said something about Jiyong being lovesick…” Daesung says, letting the sentence trail off, trying to sound like he doesn’t care. He knows it didn’t work when he sees Youngbae’s face break out into a smile.

“Mm, yeah, well he is.” Youngbae says, shaking his head lightly before he reaches forward and steals the glass in Daesung’s hand. Daesung just lets him take it, and Youngbae fishes out an ice cube, waiting for Daesung’s reaction.

“Oh.” Daesung says, his eyes a little downcast and his mouth in the shape of an ‘O’. Youngbae cocks his head to the side.

“You can’t tell me that you haven’t noticed. He’s really obvious.” He says, plucking out another ice cube and popping it into his mouth. Daesung closes his mouth and tilts his head just a little so that he can see Jiyong in his peripheral vision while looking at Youngbae.

“I don’t know. He doesn’t seem any different.” Daesung says, crossing his arms over his chest and letting his focus drift to Jiyong briefly.

“Mmm, no, he’s not different, just obviously in love.” Youngbae says around a piece of ice. Daesung gives him a look causing Youngbae to smile brightly, the ice cube almost falling out of his mouth in the process. Daesung shakes his head.

“I don’t get it, but I don’t suppose you will help me to understand.” Youngbae smiles and shakes his head.

“No, but that’s because deep down you know.” Youngbae becomes serious suddenly. “I know Jiyong’s a bit...spacey…but he’s an exceptionally smart and caring person.” Daesung looks down and wishes that he still had his glass so that he could stare into it and avoid Youngbae’s gaze.

“I know.” Daesung says; and he means it. No matter how strange Jiyong acts at times, his intelligence is still apparent, and Daesung would never even imagine questioning it.

“I just don’t want you thinking he’s just some silly thing.” Youngbae says, and Daesung can hear the unspoken “ _that you can play with and then toss aside_ ”.

“I wouldn’t.” Daesung says, and he’s worried that there is something about him that Youngbae finds problematic.

“I know, just wanted to make sure that you did.” Youngbae flashes Daesung a smile and hands him back his glass, “You need more ice and another drink.” He says loudly, causing Seunghyun and Jiyong turn toward them.

Jiyong raises an eyebrow, “Did you eat all of his ice cubes?” Youngbae just smiles, “Did you at least ask first?” Youngbae shakes his head and Jiyong rolls his eyes. “Barbarian, that one. I’m sorry about him, Daesung, sometimes he just can’t handle being in public.”

Youngbae laughs and sticks his tongue out. “Is someone going to get him another drink or are we done for the night?” Youngbae asks, grabbing Daesung’s glass again and holding it up.

Seunghyun shakes his head and sighs before pushing himself up and off the couch. “I think it’s time for us to leave you and your insanity.” He says, taking the glass from Youngbae’s hand and moving toward the kitchen. Youngbae pouts and calls out after him.

“You can’t just take over my house like this!”

“You’re incapable.” Seunghyun responds, causing Daesung and Jiyong to laugh and Youngbae to pout harder.

“Fine.” He says, and crosses his arms over his chest. “I don’t want any of you here any longer!” He shoos Daesung and Jiyong out of the living room and out toward the entryway, Seunghyun following shortly afterward. “So get out!” They all laugh and say goodnight before heading off to their respective cars.

Jiyong shakes his head, “Youngbae must be comfortable with you.” He flashes Daesung a bright smile before starting the car and driving out onto the road.

“Oh?” Daesung says, leaning back into the seat and closing his eyes; he still couldn’t really handle car rides.

“Mmm, yeah. He normally takes a while to warm up and feel comfortable being crazy and childish.” Jiyong smiles fondly as he pauses. “He likes to pretend he’s super cool and calm all the time; makes him feel special.”

Daesung chuckles lightly and turns his head toward the window, his eyes still closed. “I’m glad he feels comfortable. It can’t be fun pretending all the time.”

Jiyong drums his fingers on the steering wheel while waiting at a red light, wondering how to respond. He’s sure that Daesung probably didn’t mean anything deeper by it, but he also knew that they had been skirting around the whole ‘genie’ thing since immediately after Jiyong had made the wish to free Daesung from the lamp. He hadn’t seen Daesung do any magic, but he knew that he hadn’t been specific enough in his wish for Daesung to now be human.

The lack of human status, Jiyong muses as the light turns green and he starts driving again, could be a problem in the long term. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Daesung shifting uneasily in his seat, hands clutching at the seatbelt and the handle on the door.

“Why do you ride in the car with me if you’re so uncomfortable?” Jiyong asks suddenly, and Daesung is visibly startled. He opens his eyes and notices that they were pulling into the parking lot for Jiyong’s apartment.

“Um, because appearing out of thin air is not a normal form of transportation and Youngbae told me yesterday that nobody rides carpets any longer.” Jiyong is silent for a second, uncertain how to take Daesung’s answer; the man’s face was completely serious.

“Ah…” Jiyong says, trying to say something but failing. He parks the car and shuts it off, sitting back in his seat for a moment before turning to face Daesung. “What?”

Daesung laughs and shakes his head, allowing his hair to fall forward into his face. Jiyong reaches forward and pushes the hair out of the way without a thought before settling back into his seat and looking at Daesung expectantly. Daesung blinks a couple of times, startled by Jiyong’s touch.

“Ah. He did actually tell me that, for some reason.” Jiyong tilts his head to the side, confusion written on his face. “About the carpets…he told me that people don’t ride around on carpets any longer. I’m not sure why.” Jiyong nods.

“He’s special.”

“Yes, well…” Daesung takes a deep breath. “I…I ride in the car with you because I want to. Why would I arrive somewhere alone when I could go with you?” Jiyong can feel himself blush and is glad that it’s dark.

“And be terrified the entire time and so unable to appreciate my company?” Jiyong asks, a smile stealing across his face. “Alright, we need to set your priorities straight. Either that or you need to stop being so terrified of cars.” Jiyong shakes his head, laughing lightly, and gets out of the car.

Daesung follows suit and they start on their way to the apartment. “You drive like a learner, I feel as though my life is threatened when you’re driving.” Jiyong pouts.

“You can’t even die, so there is no reason for you to be so scared.” They enter the elevator and Jiyong waits for the doors to close before punching Daesung in the chest. “That’s for making fun of my driving.” Daesung can’t help but to laugh at Jiyong’s antics even though the reminder of his immortality was still ringing through his ears.

Daesung was immortal; he was a genie. What did Jiyong have to offer someone like that? Someone who could have absolutely anything that he wanted? More importantly, why was he still here? Couldn’t Daesung tell how terribly attached Jiyong was becoming? Jiyong realizes, as he opens the door and toes off his shoes just over the threshold, that he probably won’t be able to handle Daesung’s inevitable exit from his life. He can’t even entertain the thought that Daesung will stay, because even if Daesung did, Jiyong would grow old and die.

Daesung knew that he couldn’t wish his own powers away. If there had been a manual on how to be a genie that rule would have been on at least every other page. It was the first thing he had been warned of when he made his first, and only, wish. It was something that had never really been a problem because he had never wanted to be human quite so badly as he did now; because even though he had wanted to get away from the slave-like existence that the lamp provided, he had never once really imagined being mortal again.

Were Jiyong’s feelings genuine and long-lasting enough for Daesung to risk losing his magic and his immortality? Youngbae had told him that Jiyong wasn’t one to stay interested in things for very long. Jiyong would be crazy about something, a person or a song or a thought, for weeks just to suddenly give up on it and move on. Daesung isn’t sure he would be able to bear it.

They get ready for bed, still silent and lost in their own worlds of thought. Jiyong snuggles into the farthest edge of the bed away from the door and the possibility of him clinging to Daesung in his sleep. Daesung sighs, his thoughts too far inward for him to realize that Jiyong was shying away from him more than normal, and he shuts off the light and climbs into bed. They would need to fix this, or they would probably both go crazy.


	11. Chapter 11

“Why don’t you use your magic?” Jiyong asks suddenly. Daesung looks up from the sentences Jiyong was having him write and blinks a few times.

“Ah…How do you think we eat when you don’t buy food?” He asks, and Jiyong sits up a little straighter in his chair and his eyes widen.

“If we don’t have food, tell me.” Jiyong says, completely surprised.

Daesung laughs and shakes his head before settling it in his hand so that he can look at Jiyong closer. “How are you so unaware?” Jiyong pouts and pushes himself away from the table.

“I’m not unaware…I just. I don’t…” Daesung smiles and Jiyong looks away, “Aish! Alright, so I am. I just don’t notice unless it comes directly to my attention.”

“Are you that way about everything in your life?” Daesung asks, and Jiyong swears that the soft but firm tone that Daesung’s voice has taken on is purposeful.

“Some things more than others.” He murmurs, trying to covertly search for a way to escape this situation. He’s not sure exactly what it is that is leaving him feeling anxious and uncomfortable, but he knows that it has something to do with Daesung’s soft voice and currently unwavering gaze.

Daesung tilts his head to the side and allows his smile to turn slightly mischievous. “So I will have to spell it out for you?” He asks, and Jiyong briefly allows his mind to consider calling a doctor about his inability to breathe properly when Daesung speaks.

He collects himself quickly however as his eyes land on the paper and abandoned pen in front of Daesung. “Yes, in wonderfully formed sentences. But only after you finish what I’ve set out for you to do. Tea?” He asks, in a gush of air as he tries to get out of his seat as casually as possible.

He can feel Daesung’s eyes on him as he moves around the table and toward the stove to set up the kettle to boil. He pulls out two cups and gets everything set next to the stove, only to be unable to get the stove to work. He frowns and tries again to get it to light. It wasn’t old and he always paid his bills on time so there was no way that it was broken or that he was out of gas; so why wasn’t it lighting?

“What’s the matter?” Daesung asks, and Jiyong swears that there is a hint of amusement coloring his soft voice.

“Nothing.” Jiyong says quickly, moving to block the stove from Daesung’s view.

He tries to light the burner again, only to have it fail once more. He drops his hand from the knob and is just about to turn and leave to fetch the phone when he feels Daesung come up behind him. He stiffens and tries to calm himself down enough to find a way out of the situation, but then Daesung is moving closer and Jiyong finds himself basically trapped between Daesung’s body and the stove.

They aren’t touching, and Jiyong registers that fact, but is unable to make himself move. “It looks like you’re having trouble with the stove.” Daesung says, only it sounds more like a breath and Jiyong has to fight to get his mind to understand Daesung’s words.

“No, it’s fine.” He manages to says, his voice slightly higher than normal, making him cringe at the sound. Daesung chuckles lightly.

“Are you sure?” and Jiyong decides to try the knob again, because _hell_ it just might work this time and then Daesung might back up. So Jiyong turns the knob and…nothing happens. “Hmm, let me try.” Daesung says, his voice still a breathy whisper ghosting across Jiyong’s ear.

Jiyong nods mutely and stands there, rooted to the spot, as Daesung reaches forward; his arm brushing needlessly against Jiyong’s as it makes its way to the knob on the stove. Daesung takes a short step closer, causing their bodies to touch as he turns the knob and the burner jumps to life. Jiyong stares at the ring of fire beneath the kettle for just a couple of moments before being jerked out of his daze by the sound of Daesung’s soft laughter. Jiyong whips around, their bodies still mere centimeters apart, and stares up into Daesung’s eyes; an anger that he doesn’t really feel pulsing through his veins.

“You did that on purpose.” He says, poking an accusatory finger into Daesung’s chest. It’s an awkward motion as their bodies are too close together for the gesture to really be effective, but Jiyong tries not to let his disappointment at that show.

“Hmm, maybe I did,” He says, reaching up to grab the hand that Jiyong had left pointing at his chest. “But why on Earth would I do something so silly?”

Jiyong clenches his free hand into a fist. “Maybe because you wanted to get close to me? Don’t treat me like some innocent child.” And that was it. The mischievous glint in Daesung’s eyes softens, and he moves the hand clutching Jiyong’s down so that their hands are entwined at their side.

“I’m not trying to treat you like a child. I want you to be consciously aware of me.” Jiyong shifts his gaze to the floor.

“I’m always aware of you. It takes everything I have not to pay attention to you.” Daesung makes a light humming noise in the back of his throat, trying to make Jiyong return his gaze, but Jiyong just continues to talk. “Because I can’t let myself get attached to you when I know that you can just leave because I’m going to get older, and you are still a genie.” His voice goes flat, monotone, but he continues. “But you aren’t leaving and that’s painful too because you don’t even act like a genie so I have to remind myself that you are by asking you questions and avoiding your answers.”

Daesung sighs and grabs Jiyong’s face with his free hand, tapping his finger against Jiyong’s cheek to try and redirect his gaze. When Jiyong look up, he shakes the hair out of his eyes. “You wake up at almost the exact same time every morning; but each time you’re still surprised that you are awake so early.” Jiyong frowns, trying to figure out where Daesung is going with this. “Then you shift and realize that you’ve wrapped yourself around me in your sleep, and you stiffen before slowly trying to remove yourself without alerting me.” He says, before looking down briefly and pausing.

Jiyong takes advantage of Daesung’s brief pause. “Wait, you’re awake? You know, you…Why didn’t you tell me? If it bothers you I can sleep on the floor…” Daesung looks back up the moment that Jiyong starts talking and then smiles, shaking his head.

“I’m not finished.” Jiyong pouts and the mischievous glint is back in Daesung’s eyes. “I don’t need to sleep. I don’t sleep. I lie there and I think, and sometimes I fall into something so close to sleep that I feel almost human.” He smiles and smooths his hand over Jiyong’s reddening cheek. “And then you turn over and snake your arm across my chest, pulling yourself closer in your sleep; and suddenly I don’t care that I’m not human and that I can’t sleep. But then, in the morning, when you slowly disentangle yourself from me, I remember that someday I will have to deal with the fact that someday you won’t be there to wrap your arms around me while you’re asleep, and I will have to spend the rest of eternity with just the memory of you to keep me going.” Jiyong tries to move his head out of Daesung’s grasp, trying not to show how upset everything that Daesung said has made him.

“Just, stop.” He says, choking on his words as Daesung finally lets go of his face and he is able to turn away.

“I can’t wish myself mortal.” Daesung says, seemingly unable to stop the depressing track of his speech.

The words hang in the air for a couple of moments, and Daesung moves back letting space come between them but not letting go of Jiyong’s hand. The words take only a second to register in Jiyong’s brain, but slightly longer for the full force of the words to knock into him. Jiyong’s eyes go wide and he turns his head back to face Daesung just as Daesung was deciding to let go of his hand and move back to the table.

“You can’t wish yourself mortal.” Jiyong says, and Daesung stops, turning back to look at him with a silent question painted across his face. Jiyong’s grip tightens in Daesung’s hand. “ _You_ can’t wish _yourself_. But just because you’re free from the lamp doesn’t mean that you can’t still grant wishes.”

Jiyong waits, holding his breath, as he watches Daesung’s face. He sincerely hopes that he hadn’t completely read everything that Daesung had just said wrong. He wants so desperately to believe that Daesung wants to be with him just as badly as he wants to be with Daesung. Jiyong watches as Daesung’s face changes from slightly puzzled to full comprehension, ending in the bright smile that Jiyong knows he will never tire of seeing.

“You’re brilliant.” Daesung says, his voice low. Jiyong smirks, his confidence returning full-force.

“Are you just figuring this out now?” Jiyong says, his face falling into a haughty pout.

Daesung grins, that mischievous glint that had been popping up all morning finding its way back into his eyes. He tugs on Jiyong’s hand, pulling him forward, and lays his free hand back onto Jiyong’s face. “No, but I don’t say it enough.” He says, his voice falling into the breathy whisper that causes Jiyong to lose his ability to breathe. He scrubs his thumb absently over Jiong’s cheek before moving his hand down to Jiyong’s neck and pulling him closer.

Jiyong’s eyes travel from Daesung’s eyes and down to his lips before quickly moving back up, trying to decide if he wanted Daesung to be aware that they had. Daesung smiles and leans forward, capturing Jiyong’s mouth in a kiss that makes him decide that he would definitely be spending more time staring at Daesung’s lips if this is what it got him.


	12. Chapter 12

The rather large and antique-looking clock in the living room very clearly said that it was 4:30. The sun is setting, and the dark curtains over the only window in the room were doing a poor job of blocking it’s dying rays as it passed by. Jiyong was sprawled on the floor, his head in Daesung’s lap, while he held an old-looking book up over his head. The intense look of concentration on his face was in direct contrast to the soft and relaxed look on Daesung’s.

Daesung was leaning back against the couch, the fingers of his right hand raking slowly through Jiyong’s hair as he watched the man concentrate. They had been sitting like that for just over an hour, and while Daesung was far from uncomfortable, as he would love to run his fingers through Jiyong’s hair forever, he was curious as to what it was that was taking all of the man’s attention.

“What’s the matter?” He asks, his voice low but not breathy. Jiyong tilts his head back just slightly so that he can look at Daesung’s face without moving his book.

“I’m researching.” He says simply, and Daesung smiles as he fights the urge to repeat his question; he knows that Jiyong will get around to answering it. Jiyong glances back at the book before lowering it down to his chest and returning his gaze to Daesung’s face. “I want to wish right, or else it won’t work.”

Daesung’s hand freezes in Jiyong’s hair, and he looks down into Jiyong’s eyes. “You don’t need to…If it’s going to cause you this much frustration…” Jiyong’s eyes go wide and he hastily sits up, Daesung’s hand still tangled in his hair.

“No, no! I just. I don’t want to say the wrong thing and have you not exist because even if you never became a genie in the first place and so this all never happened, I would… I wouldn’t ever. I would know.” Jiyong falls silent, his breath coming out in short agitated puffs as his cheeks turn pink with embarrassment.

Daesung pulls his hand down from Jiyong’s hair and along his cheek before dropping it into his lap. “It will be fine. Please don’t worry about it overmuch.” Jiyong’s mouth falls into a set line and Daesung realizes a little belatedly that he hadn’t said the right thing.

Jiyong just stares at Daesung, his eyes slightly wide and unblinking. He can’t understand why Daesung doesn’t seem to see how big of a deal this actually was. If he wished it wrong, then something bad could happen…couldn’t it?

“But, there is so much that could go wrong!” Jiyong says, his hands balling into fists on the ground.

Daesung just shakes his head and tilts it to the side. “Why, are you going to say: I wish Daesung were anything but a genie? Or maybe: I wish Daesung could stay with me forever! Because both of those would be incorrect.” Jiyong’s face falls into a deep pout and Daesung smiles, reaching forward to grab one of Jiyong’s balled fists. “But if you say something like: ‘I wish that Daesung was a human,’ or ‘I wish that Daesung was not a genie anymore,’ then you would be fine.”

“You’re making fun of me, and all I want is for nothing to go wrong.” Jiyong says, moving back a little

“Nothing will go wrong. I can feel it, trust me.” Daesung says, and Jiyong just nods in response.

The room falls silent again, and Jiyong stares at Daesung for a couple more seconds before moving so that he is sitting next to Daesung. He leans his head back onto the cushion of the sofa, and moves his hand in Daesung’s until their fingers are laced. He lets out a small sigh, and then turns his head to look at Daesung again.

“Why do the wishes have to be so precise? If you know what the person means, why can’t you grant that?”

Daesung takes a couple of seconds to respond, seemingly surprised by the question. “Ah, well… the easiest way to explain it would be to say that genies don’t really control the magic.” He runs his free hand over his face before dropping it back to the ground. “All I do is let it free. You make a wish, and I make sure that the magic is aware, and then the magic does the rest by itself.”

Jiyong rolls his head back so that he’s looking up at the ceiling. “Alright, but then how do _you_ use the magic, for things like making dinner?”

“I can manipulate it for myself…but getting food or shutting off the gas in the stove is different from granting you eternal youth; one is concrete and has one meaning, the other has many. One is being asked for directly from the source, the other is going through a filter.” Daesung shakes his head before tipping it back. “It’s difficult to explain. Magic is mystery, and it also doesn’t help that most genies don’t want to help humans because humans don’t want to help them.”

Jiyong nods and squeezes Daesung’s hand in his. “If I wish for you not to be a genie, then you’re going to have to tell me whenever we don’t have food.”

Daesung smiles and squeezes Jiyong’s hand, “I think I can manage that terribly daunting task.” Jiyong allows himself a small smile as he closes his eyes.

The room goes silent again and Daesung lifts up his head to look at the old clock. He feels the need to call Youngbae, but he can’t really think of a solid reason why. He glances at Jiyong, whose eyes are still closed, and decides to log the feeling for later; it could probably wait. He closes his eyes for a moment and allows himself to really let the thought of becoming mortal and being able to spend the rest of his life just exactly where he is now. It’s a staggering thought, one that leaves him elated and slightly scared; he’s putting his future in Jiyong’s hands, and even though he knows that it’s everything that he could ever want, it’s still a little scary. Daesung is knocked out of his thoughts by Jiyong’s soft but firm voice.

“I want Daesung to be human, not a genie.” He says, and Daesung freezes for a moment, unable to believe that it was actually happening.

“Is that a wish?” Daesung asks; his voice no more than a whisper. Jiyong’s lips tilt up in a smile.

“Yes, it is.” He says, before snuggling himself into Daesung’s side and keeping his eyes closed.

Daesung smiles and tilts his head back. The feel of the magic moving around him, warm and comforting, makes him sigh. He holds Jiyong’s hand tighter and closes his eyes; He’s not sure what to expect. Before the magic can even start to work, he feels Jiyong fall asleep, and he’s surprised by how glad he is that Jiyong won’t be awake for whatever happens. He feels the magic tighten around him and he squeezes his eyes shut, trying to remember what it had felt like when he became a genie. A tingly feeling crosses over his body as the magic becomes tighter and he wonders how he will know if it had worked.

Jiyong wakes up to the sound of Daesung’s voice, muffled as if it were a few rooms away instead of right next to him where the man was supposed to be. He opens his eyes and looks around, realizing that he was still in the living room and that according to the clock it was only about 7:00; so he hadn’t slept for very long.

He hears Daesung say goodbye, and he wonders who the man had been talking to. He looks up as Daesung enters the room and tilts his head to the side. “Who was that?”

Daesung smiles and squats down in front of him. “That was Youngbae; I called him to make sure everything was alright.” Jiyong’s face takes on a puzzled frown.

“What do you mean, ‘alright’? Is he OK?” Jiyong asks, sitting up and getting closer, worry starting to make itself shown on his face.

“Yes, he’s fine, I just had the urge to call him earlier, so once I woke up I decided to do so.” Jiyong nods, but doesn’t look particularly convinced. “You can call him later to verify! I swear he’s alright.” Jiyong narrows his eyes but then nods.

“Right. So… are you human?” Jiyong asks, rather more directly than he had intended. Daesung smiles brightly.

“I can’t even make a door open.” He says, and Jiyong wonders if he’s really as OK with this as he sounds. Daesung smiles again and stands up, offering Jiyong his hand. “We don’t have any food, so I ordered a pizza…I think.” Jiyong laughs and accepts the hand.

“What number did you call; because if it’s not from the place up the street I’m not eating it.” Daesung chuckles softly and pulls Jiyong around so that they are facing. “What are you doing?”

“Are you happy?” Daesung asks, and Jiyong bites his lip.

“Of course I am.” He says, before looking down at their feet.

“Then why do I get the feeling that you are uncertain and I’m the certain one?”

Jiyong scoffs, “You just wait, you won’t know what hit you when I’m ready.” Daesung smiles.

“Oh, I think I know.” He says, and Jiyong feels himself shiver as Daesung moves in closer. “Sometimes you talk in your sleep.” He whispers, close enough now that his mouth is near Jiyong’s ear. “You’re very creative.” He says, and Jiyong can feel the heat creeping up his neck.

“Oh really?” He asks, forcing himself to stay focused.

“Mmhmm.” Daesung breathes, and Jiyong feels the shiver move from his head down. He reaches forward and places a hand on Daesung’s chest before looking up and directly into Daesung’s eyes.

“What do I say?” He asks, allowing his voice to go deeper, huskier even; enjoying the sharp intake of breath that Daesung takes.

“Quite a lot. Some of it I only catch parts of…” Daesung is cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Jiyong grins up at him and kisses him quickly on the mouth.

“Huh, well I can’t do anything about it if I don’t know what I was saying.” He says before turning on his heel and heading toward the door. “Sounds like dinner is here. This conversation may have to wait.” He says, waving his hand dismissively behind him as he practically saunters to the front door to pay for the pizza.

Daesung’s eyes remained glued to Jiyong’s retreating form; how was he going to make it through dinner now? There was no doubt in his mind that Jiyong was going to make this meal one of the most long and drawn out affairs of his lifetime. A slow grin moves across his mouth as he thinks about it. Maybe it won’t be so bad, he thinks, as Jiyong passes him on the way to the kitchen. He’s fairly certain that he just saw him swing his hips.

“Come on! Before the pizza gets cold!” Jiyong shouts, dropping the box onto the table and opening it to pull out a slice. He leans against the counter and allows himself to grin behind his piece as Daesung walks in and his eyes immediately trail up Jiyong’s body; stopping only when they reached his mouth and Jiyong decided to lick a small amount of sauce off of his lips.

Jiyong points at the open box with his piece of pizza and then goes back to eating. Daesung looks at the box, barely registering what it is. He shakes his head and strides quickly over to Jiyong, grabbing him by the shoulder and moving the pizza-holding arm out of the way.

“I’m not eating until I get a proper kiss.” He says; his voice low and commanding. Jiyong smiles up at him and shakes his head.

“I’m not kissing until you’ve eaten.” He responds, pushing Daesung away and continuing to eat his pizza. “Actually, I’m going to call Youngbae.” He says, and walks over to the phone.

Daesung just watches him, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. _Forever_. He can wait, he decides, grabbing a piece of pizza and watching as Jiyong leans over the counter in an obvious ploy to distract him. He takes a deep and calming breath, his eyes trained on Jiyong. He silently prays that Jiyong’s phone call won’t last more than 15 minutes; he didn’t think he could handle Jiyong’s teasing for any longer than that.

Jiyong leans forward even more, trying to reach the pen he had dropped when Youngbae had told him his problem. “You what?” He chokes out, trying to wrap his mind around what his best friend was telling him while simultaneously trying not to fall apart under the stare that he could feel coming from Daesung.

“Aish, it’s hard to talk about on the phone, and…and Ji what am I supposed to do? I’m in my car, in the middle of nowhere…” Jiyong rolls his eyes.

“You’re at the park, that isn’t the middle of nowhere. Just clear your head and we will talk about it tomorrow.” Jiyong hears Youngbae’s deep sigh and the light click of the seatbelt.

“You’re right.” He says. “I just need to clear my head. Have a good night, enjoy your pizza.” Jiyong hesitate for a second, deciphering the sound of Youngbae’s voice, before deciding that his friend would be fine and they could definitely talk about it tomorrow.

He says goodbye and hangs up. He looks down at the phone for a second before he hears Daesung cough lightly behind him before shuffling his feet for a short moment. Jiyong smiles brightly at the wall and refuses to turn around. “If you have a cold, I’m not touching you.” He says. He’s barely done with the sentence before Daesung is behind him.

“I don’t have one, so I guess we’re all set.” He whispers, his voice sending shivers down Jiyong’s spine.

“Hmm, I guess so.” He responds, turning around and pulling Daesung’s face down to his, “So, tell me about those things I say in my sleep.” Daesung smirks and presses his forehead to Jiyong’s.

“Mm, but first…” He mutters before pressing his lips firmly against Jiyong’s. Jiyong moves his arms so that they are around Daesung’s neck and pulls himself closer.

_Forever._


End file.
